The Prince
by BonitaBreezy
Summary: The combined kingdoms of Hartz and Ne'erwas found peace through their kings. Six months later, a new threat raises a different danger. Can their fragile peace survive it? AkuRoku, sequel to FireLight
1. Bred By War

A/N: What's this? A part two to FireLight? No way! Yes, my friends. Way. I liked this so much that when this idea popped into my head during geometry today (because god forbid I pay attention and raise my average over an 80) I decided, eh, what the hell. I'll give it a shot! So, here's to hoping you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 1

In the Kingdom of Hollow Bastion, a three-day horse ride to the west of the joined kingdoms of Ne'erwas and Hartz, a messenger waited nervously in the antechamber to the throne room. The queen was quite notorious for her harsh punishments and the news the messenger bore would be none too pleasing to the woman. The man had reached the point where he was pacing back and forth when the doors finally opened to him.

He took a deep breath before cautiously entering the room, the large doors slamming shut behind him, enveloping everything in darkness. He took a few steps forward, the sound of his breath getting harsher and louder as he went. Finally, though, he felt the stone steps of the dais slam against his toes. Hissing in pain, he lifted his foot and started up the steps, torches igniting in the wall as soon as he did so.

The queen sat regally upon her throne, watching him with narrowed eyes. He quickly dropped to his knees, bowing his head, persistently avoiding looking her in the face.

"Your majesty, I come with news of the kingdoms of Hartz and Ne'erwas."

There was a long pause before she spoke quietly. "Well, then?"

"It appears that the scout was correct, your majesty. The Kings Roxas and Axel wed just over six months ago. Their militaries have joined, though it seems that they are only standing defensive. I saw no signs that they have any plans to mobilize. In fact, I did hear rumor that they are in the early stages of declaring neutrality."

"Neutrality," she scoffed. "You're telling me that the two most powerful kingdoms in all of Gaia have joined forces and they want neutrality? Impossible!"

"I only report what I see, majesty," the messenger offered quietly.

"And what news of the prince?" she spat, looking livid.

"I wasn't able to pinpoint the prince's exact location, your majesty. I did find a few who could qualify, but I just couldn't be sure."

She let out a cry of dismay, causing the messenger's head to snap up in panic. Their eyes met and he froze.

"Your incompetence will be your downfall," she snapped, sending a charge of magic his way. He had no time to scream before the power hit him and he dropped dead.

King Roxas of Nadie, the name they'd come up with to call the joined kingdoms of Hartz and Ne'erwas, sat in the one of the twin thrones in the castle's throne room. He would have been extremely bored, if not for the little show his rey was putting on for him. Axel was a fire-wielder, and he had so much power he hardly knew what to do with it.

The magic of over one hundred generations of fire-users ran through his blood and had been handed down to him when he was crowned king. The most magic he'd ever used had been when he'd saved Roxas' life nearly six months before, continually feeding the blonde as much energy as he could at one time for the span of an entire week. That particular trick hadn't even come close to tiring him out.

This, of course, was why Axel had found countless ways to use his magic, whether they be useful or not. For instance, at that very moment, the redhead was making little imps out of fire and having them dance around the throne room, merely to keep them entertained while they attended their duties. The only problem was that Axel couldn't access the extra raw power whenever he felt like it. It only came out when he was in dire need of it and there was no fooling the magic.

They set aside two hours everyday for their subjects to hold audiences, but things had been slow as of late. More often then not, the pair spent their time in the throne room talking or messing around with Axel's powers. Every once in a while, Axel's personal guard Demyx would add his own little water imps to the mix and the pair would have them dance together in an elaborate waltz. It always amused Roxas to no end and he was particularly fascinated because he'd never been able to make his own magic take a form like that. Axel had once informed him that he'd always been able to do it, though it used to tire him out a lot.

Today, though, was different. The doors to the throne room slammed open, leaving only a thunderous noise in its wake. A moment later, a black-haired man stumbled through the doors, looking dead on his feet. He was bleeding from his head and side and he could hardly stand up, let alone walk in a straight line. Roxas cast Axel a concerned look as the redhead banished the dancing flames. Axel nodded at Demyx and the blonde hurried forward, followed quickly by Roxas' guard, Zexion. They both caught the man under the arms and helped him closer to the kings, who were now both completely serious and ready for business.

"What happened to you?" Axel asked. The man shook his head dismissively.

"We don't have time for that now," he mumbled. "The queen is coming! She will ask for the prince, but do not give him to her! Don't give her the prince!"

"The prince? You mean Sora?" Roxas asked, hands tightening at the thought of anyone trying to take his brother.

"No, our prince. He is here, in your midst and has been for a long time. Hiding. Do not give her the prince!"

"What do you mean he's been hiding? The queen of where?"

"The queen of nothing!" the man spat. "When the prince disappeared, she took over…but she's found him now. Do not give her the prince or she'll kill him!" With this last warning, the man lost consciousness, making both Demyx and Zexion grunt with the force they had to exert to keep him from collapsing face-first into the floor.

"Get him to a doctor," Roxas instructed the pair, who gave a nod and left instantly. As soon as they were out the doors, Roxas turned to look at his rey, whose eyes were clouded with worried thought.

"So…um…what do you make of that?" he asked.

"Well, apparently, we have a prince acting as a pauper," Axel said with a shrug. "What I'm really worried about is the killing part. We don't know which kingdom this is and we don't know where the strike will come from. What we do know is that they're threatening someone we've sworn to protect."

Roxas nodded solemnly, moving to sit on the arm of Axel's chair and sighing heavily. "If this person is trying to hide their identity, it's not likely we'll be able to get it out of them. They could be anywhere in Nadie, for all we know. With a population two million strong, it's a smart place to hide…" Roxas trailed off.

"But the man said this prince has been among us for a long time. Which means he was either hiding in Hartz or in Ne'erwas to begin with. Which means things were bad enough in his own home to seek refuge in a war-torn country," Axel said thoughtfully, picking up on Roxas' train of thought.

"Exactly," Roxas sighed. "That means whoever this person was had to avoid being out on the front lines at all cost, which shortens our list out considerably."

"To royals and the Royal Guard," Axel confirmed.

"And it can't be royals, because they would have to be in one of our family lines to rule here and I don't have any relatives with enough royal blood to rule outside of Hartz."

"Me neither," Axel shook his head.

"Which only leaves the Guard."

Axel grinned and shook his head, though he didn't look very amused. "One of the people sworn to protect us deserves a royal guard of his own. Irony, or what?"

"Yeah, it's ironic all right. Do you think we should just confront them as a group and then individually? Even if they don't answer honestly, we can't hold the real prince under a punishment when we find out. Diplomatic immunity," Roxas sighed.

Axel nodded, looking just as annoyed. "I'll call them, then." He summoned up a small flaming bird and whispered a message to it before setting the bird off to deliver his message. It flew high into the air and out a window, coming to rest-Roxas could only assume-above the center of the marketplace.

Axel's voice rang out loud and clear above everything, calling for every male member of the Royal Guard to assemble in the throne room. While slightly dramatic, it certainly was effective, and before long, the guard was assembled in the throne room, looking alert yet confused.

"Well, boys," Axel said with a grin. "It's time for a little twenty questions."

"What is going on, majesties?" Riku, the commander of the guard questioned with a frown.

Roxas leaned back, making sure to keep himself balanced so that he wouldn't fall off the side of Axel's throne. He felt Axel's hand press against his side, though whether it was supposed to be a comforting gesture or merely something to keep him from falling, he wasn't sure.

"We've received some…disturbing news," Roxas started, uncertain as to how much he should reveal.

"A messenger came from a neighboring kingdom, which one we aren't quite sure yet, to warn us to protect their prince…"

"Why does it matter to us whether their prince is safe?" a guard named Xigbar snorted.

"Kindly don't interrupt when I'm speaking," Axel said with a bit of warning in his voice.

"We care," Roxas spoke up before there could be any more complaints, "because we believe this prince is one of our own. The messenger informed us that the prince has been hidden among our ranks for quite some time now, and that means that Axel and I have sworn to protect him and he has fought for us."

"We believe that one of you is the prince," Axel said bluntly. The entire group stiffened and whispers broke out amongst them.

"Keep order in front of your kings!" Riku snapped, sending his troops a glare. The mutters instantly stopped and several had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Majesty, my rey, if I may?" Riku requested, still looking angry.

"Go ahead, Riku," Roxas granted.

"Even if you do find out the identity of this prince, what will you do?" he asked.

"We have reason to believe that the prince is in danger," Axel spoke up. "We'll do everything in our power to protect him. We won't force him back to his own kingdom, but we won't keep him against his will either."

Riku didn't look very satisfied. "But…" he said slowly.

"Yes?"

"What if this kingdom decides they want to fight for him?"

"Then we will fight," Roxas said simply.

"For a person who isn't even your subject?" Riku asked, looking slightly aghast.

"Even if he isn't a subject, he is our ally. He's helped us for this many years, hasn't he? We will protect him and if that brings us to war, I fear for the challenging kingdom."

"Because we might be peaceful now, but we were bred with war in our blood," Axel added, a fierce look in his eyes that wasn't often there. "If they wish to fight, bring it on. We will crush them into the ground." They all looked a bit impressed at Axel's words, several standing up straighter as if ready to fight right that moment. Axel was a very charismatic person.

"Hopefully things won't escalate to that level," Roxas said, trying to calm down the testosterone levels. "We just want you to know, if you're the prince we're looking for, that we won't betray you and that we know how much we owe you."

"So…" Axel said slowly. "Does anyone want to fess up?" The room was completely silent for a span of about half a minute before Roxas sighed and nodded.

"Very well, then. But don't think we're going to stop looking. You can go." They trooped out, Riku staying behind, his bright eyes serious and pensive.

"What's up, Riku?" Axel asked, dropping his regal posture and taking Roxas' hand without a thought.

"I'm…I'm not quite sure what to make of this situation, is all," he said. "I don't like the thought of a nameless kingdom attacking at any time."

Axel shook his head, leaning forward slightly. "They won't attack right out," he said. Riku frowned, looking doubtful.

"What makes you so confident of that?" he demanded.

"Hartz and Ne'erwas were the two most powerful kingdoms in Gaia. Both our militaries were so far ahead of the rest, not to mention all of our citizens have been taught war since they were small children. Joined together, we're almost unstoppable and this kingdom will know that. They'll be careful not provoke our wrath, I think."

"It would be foolish to be so headstrong," Riku advised quietly.

"We know that," Roxas sighed, rolling his shoulders to try and loosen the sudden tenseness that had gathered there. "We aren't saying we shouldn't be prepared for anything and everything, but I don't think we have to worry so much just yet. Your concerns are reputable, but not quite necessary just yet. If there comes a time when they are, I assure you, you'll be among the first to know."

Riku nodded, not looking very much appeased, but more like resigned. "Very well, Majesties. If you'll excuse me, I left Sora under the care of Yuffie…"

Roxas laughed out loud and Axel said, "We completely understand. Go ahead." He turned on his heel and strode across the room, but just as he touched the doorknob, Roxas called out, "Riku, I'd like you to compile a folder for every male member of the Guard and bring it to us at your earliest convenience." His shoulders tightened for a moment before he answered, "Yes, majesty," and left.

Roxas let out a huge whoosh of breath and slid off his perch into Axel's lap, leaning his head against the redhead's collarbone. Axel let out a content sigh and wrapped his arms around Roxas, squeezing him gently.

"What do you make of this whole debacle?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know what to think," Roxas admitted. "I just don't know." Axel nodded, one of his hands slowly stroking up and down Roxas' back.

"It is just a huge mess, isn't it? I guess all we can do at this point is hope that man wakes up and can give us more information."

"And things were just starting to calm down and become normal," Roxas moaned.

"Normal? Since when are we normal, Roxy?"

The blonde allowed a laugh to bubble over his lips, leaning his face up to kiss his rey sweetly.

"You do have a point there." Overhead, the clock tower chimed three times.

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A/N: My cat is sitting on my arms again. It quite hurts because she's resting all her weight on one paw. I think I might have a paw-shaped bruise before the night is out…review!


	2. Probation

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 2

Roxas threw a file down on the table before leaning back against the couch and Axel's arm, which was slung over the top. The redhead looked just as exhausted as Roxas felt, one leg crossed over the other with a file resting on his knee, his free hand rubbing his eyelids vigorously.

"Have you found anything?" Roxas asked with a sigh, reaching up a hand to rub his own aching shoulders.

"Not really," Axel muttered. "I mean, I couldn't possibly suspect some people. I grew up with Demyx, Xigbar's been around since my dad was a kid…"

Roxas nodded in agreement. "Riku's family has been guarding mine for generations," he pointed out. "But there must be something we're missing here…"

"Maybe looking through the files wasn't the best idea," Axel grumbled, tossing his own down. "I mean, if they wanted to hide, would they likely put down their actual origins in something so easily accessible?"

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas," Roxas snapped, glowering at the redhead.

"I said we should just wait for that man to wake up and ask him about it…" Axel argued, his voice rising.

"We don't know if he'll ever wake up, Axel!" Roxas yelled, finally losing his temper. The people in the library around them went completely silent, staring while trying not to show it.

They both seemed to realize how stupid they were being at the same time, Axel's face going softer, Roxas' shoulders slumping and a small sigh escaping his lips.

"Sorry," the blonde mumbled.

"Yeah, me too," Axel answered. "We're both stressed out and worried…"

"But we shouldn't take it out on each other," Roxas finished for him.

Axel nodded with a soft smile, kissing him quickly on the mouth, something Roxas still wasn't quite comfortable with in public. He felt his cheeks flush and he had to look away for fear of seeing that sexy, self-satisfied grin Axel wore every time he managed to make Roxas blush.

After a long moment's pause, when everyone had returned to whatever they had been doing, Axel spoke again.

"So…do you really think he won't wake up?"

Roxas shrugged helplessly. "It could go any way, really. He didn't look so good when I saw him and when I tried using my magic to see how much damage he has, I was almost overloaded. The only time I've ever seen anything worse is when Flurry stepped on you that one time."

Axel's eyes lit up and he suddenly looked excited. Roxas had to wonder why the thought of almost being crushed to death made him look so happy.

"Roxy, I do believe I just had an idea," Axel said with a grin.

"If it has anything to do with that damn horse, you can forget it." Roxas still hadn't quite forgiven the animal for almost killing him.

Axel rolled his eyes, followed by a quick shake of the head.

"No, Roxy. You can heal him! Or, well, maybe you can get someone to help you heal him so you don't exhaust yourself like last time, but…"

"That way he'll wake up faster!" Roxas said, feeling stupid for not having thought of it himself. "I can get mom to help me, I think…" Roxas' words were cut off by a scream from somewhere close by. Both kings were instantly on their feet, scanning the room for the source. It was then that Roxas saw them.

Spots as black as ink were scurrying across the floor straight toward them.

"What they hell are those?" Axel asked, looking concerned. The only answer he received was the darkness taking of the form of a little imp and jumping at him.

Axel cursed and ducked out of the way, shooting an arc of fire at his attacker without a thought. Roxas stumbled back, just barely avoiding being struck by the flames. It was enough for the little imps to get an advantage and take him to the ground. He blasted three of them with light, knocking them a few feet back, making them disintegrate. He summoned his swords, then, not willing to take a chance. The things were swarming everywhere, all of them headed for the two kings in the corner, though some being held off by subjects. Still, floods upon floods continued to pour seemingly from nowhere. All the fighting wasn't doing much good.

Axel was taking them out six at a time with trails of fire, but nothing seemed to stop them. Roxas was almost chest deep in them and starting to panic. The flow would never stop. They couldn't keep it up forever. He slashed one through the head and kept going, breath coming out in deep gasps as he had no chance to take even the smallest of rests. Six months of peace had worn down his battle skills. He'd gotten lazy.

A wave of them splashed over his head, pulling him to the floor and refusing to relent. He tried beating them away with his swords and blasting them with magic, but one dead beast was replaced with three more. They were closed in so tight, he felt like he couldn't breath. He wondered if he might suffocate under a sea of little imps. Just as he was about to give up hope, a loud voice rang above the chaos, a voice that demanded to be heeded.

"ENOUGH!" Everything came to a complete standstill and suddenly Roxas could move again. Axel was by his side in a moment, pulling him to his feet and checking to see how injured he was. Roxas brushed the redhead off with a few reassuring words and turned to see who had reigned control over the beasts. Much to his surprise, they were all staring at Riku, their yellow eyes rapt with attention. Riku glared at them all, his eyes fierce.

"Leave," he spat. "You're not to come here again. You are not to attack this place again, or I will destroy you bit by bit. Now go!" Instantaneously, the imps sunk into the floor and disappeared. Roxas was fairly sure he wasn't the only one staring at Riku in awe. Axel, however, was the one who acted. He moved forward quickly, grabbing Riku around the arm, his eyes narrowed.

"Care to explain what the hell that just was?" he growled.

"Perhaps we should move this conversation to a more private place," Riku answered calmly.

"Er…yeah, sure. Come on, we can go to our room," Roxas offered, head still reeling at how close he'd been to being smothered. Not to mention Riku's apparent control over those monsters.

He took a step toward the library's door, letting out a hiss of breath as pain shot up his leg, noticing for the first time that one of the beasts had managed to gore his leg quite nicely. Before anyone had a chance to fuss over it, he rested his hand over the wound and healed it closed. It didn't completely relieve the pain, but it did bring it down to a more manageable level.

"Hold on, we can take this," Riku said, opening the tunnel again. Roxas stepped into it without a thought, but Axel hesitated, glancing at Riku, distrusting. The two had never really liked each other that much, but Riku had never let that get in the way of his duty. Up until that moment, Axel had never seemed to doubt the silver-haired guard. In fact, Riku had saved Axel's life before, from the silver-haired guard's very own sister. Roxas couldn't really see why the redhead would be suspicious just because darkness happened to be Riku's element. He wasn't the only one.

"Come on, Ax," Roxas spoke quietly. "He's the head of our guard…"

"So was Marly," Axel interrupted him quietly. Roxas wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Marluxia-or Marly-had been the head of the Ne'erwasian Royal Guard when Roxas had met Axel. The redhead and the guard had been very close friends all their lives and Axel had trusted him to no end. Marluxia had teamed up with Roxas' personal guard Larxene and together they had tried to stop Roxas and Axel's marriage, thus keeping their kingdoms separated. Except that Marluxia really was trying to kill Roxas so that he could start up a three hundred year long war again. Instead, he'd accidentally killed Axel's mother and caused Roxas to lose control of his magic, almost killing countless innocents as well. Larxene, wracked with guilt, turned them in a week later and the pair had been executed. It had been quite a blow to both kings, something neither of them would ever really get over.

"You can't compare Riku to him, Axel." Roxas said severely. "Please come on."

"But I can, Roxas," Axel said defiantly, though keeping his voice low. Obviously he was still aware of prying ears.

"I'll walk, thanks."

Roxas paused, looking between Axel and Riku, knowing that he had to make a choice and knowing that that choice would strain his relationship with one or the other. They both stared at him passively for a long moment before Riku sighed.

"I'd consider you a fool to not be suspicious of me after that," Riku said. "If you want to walk, I can't force you into anything. But Roxas is hurt and walking on a newly healed wound will strain him. This is a shorter path and I have to admit, I'm getting quite tired of holding it open."

Axel seemed to see sense in these words, but he still didn't look quite comfortable with the idea. Finally he just nodded, taking another step back. Roxas stepped farther into the void, sparing a glance at the redhead. Axel was staring intently at Zexion, who was moving to follow Roxas.

"Zexion," Axel spoke. The younger silver-haired guard turned to look at him, serious eyes focused.

"Yes, majesty?"

"Can I count on you?" Axel asked seriously.

"Sire?"

"If you had to, would you be able to kill your own brother?" Axel asked, so quietly Roxas could barely hear him. Zexion was silent for about twenty seconds before he nodded.

"Yes." Roxas shot a glance at Riku and was unsurprised to see the look of pride on his face. That would be the sort of thing that would make Riku proud of his brother. Axel, needing no other assurances, turned and walked away as if nothing was wrong. Roxas tried to do the same, turning into the void and walking down the dark tunnel he knew would take him where he wanted to go. The portal opened up after a few steps and he was in the sitting room in his personal chambers.

Roxas took a seat on the couch and rested his head against his hands, not quite sure what to think about what had just happened. Roxas knew, in his heart of hearts, that Riku would rather chew his own leg off then hurt the people he was charged with protecting, but it would take some work to convince Axel of that. After six months, Riku and Axel had gotten used to the idea that maybe they weren't out to destroy each other's kingdoms. They'd even been a bit on friendly terms as of late. But Axel didn't trust very easily, Marluxia had almost shattered that part of him beyond repair. He'd need cold hard facts and proof to believe that it wasn't Riku who had sent those beasts on them. Of course, the fact that Riku had been able to banish them wasn't going to help his case so much.

The redhead came through the door a moment later, not saying a word as he flung himself down in a chair on the opposite side of the room from Roxas. The blonde felt his heart sink. Axel really was upset.

"All right, Riku," Roxas sighed quietly. "Ex…" He was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Demyx, would you get that?"

The blonde guard nodded and opened the door to reveal Sora, his blue eyes blazing with a bit of anger, a pout formed on his lips.

"I'm indirectly involved in this," he said before anyone could speak. "I think I have a right to know what's going to happen." Roxas glanced at Riku, who shrugged indifferently.

"All right, Sora. Take a seat," Roxas sighed, nodding in the general direction of Riku's chair. The brunet took a seat on the arm of the chair, his hand surreptitiously coming to rest on Riku's shoulder.

"Tell us what the hell just happened," Axel growled before Roxas had another chance to speak.

"I was with Sora, naturally," Riku started. "I was destroying him in chess when I felt the strains of dark magic. I thought that was odd, considering that I'm the only one in Nadie that I'm aware of who holds the hand of darkness. I was concerned of course, and I asked Sora if he knew where the both of you were. He said he thought you might be in the library looking over the files I'd given you. Since the disturbance was coming from that direction, I headed there as fast as I could. When I got there, I saw that we were vastly outnumbered. I saw Roxas go down, so I took control of the situation. I would think, your _majesty_, that you might be a little more grateful." Roxas' jaw almost dropped. He'd never, ever, heard Riku address one of his superiors with such a tone of voice.

"What I want to know," Axel growled, "Is how the hell you did control them if they weren't sent by you." At the point the head of the Guard and the King were glaring daggers at each other and Roxas wondered momentarily whether blows might be exchanged. A moment later he shook that thought from his head, knowing that Riku wouldn't dare strike his own king, no matter what the circumstances.

"They were beings of darkness, of course I could control them. Just as you can control flame not made of your own magic or Roxas can dispel light he didn't create."

Axel continued to scowl as he thought this over. "We can't prove that it wasn't you," he said finally.

"You can't prove that it was, either," Sora said defiantly. Roxas could see his twin's hackles rising in defense of his lover, his face gaining a stubborn set. "In Hartz, we believe in innocence until proven guilty."

"Yeah?" Axel asked, looking unconvinced. "Well in Ne'erwas, we believe in guilty until proven innocent."

"Funny thing is," Roxas intervened, raising his voice to be heard above the bickering, "the kingdoms of Hartz and Ne'erwas don't exist anymore. So it really doesn't matter."

They were all silent for a few minutes. The only noise came from the sound of Demyx's shoes as he paced behind them, Zexion watching him warily.

"Well, what do you think we should do then, Roxas?" Axel finally asked, breaking the silence.

"We don't know he did anything, Ax. Should we punish him for doing nothing? For helping out, even? If he hadn't intervened I would probably have died…" Axel opened his mouth to protest, but Roxas silence him with a shake of his head. "I'd have been smothered to death before anything else. Riku's given us no reason to mistrust him, Axel, and plenty of reasons to trust him."

"Trust is a funny thing, Roxas. Just because you place yours in a person doesn't mean that they deserve it. Until I'm completely convinced, I don't want him in a seat of power." Riku's eyes went wide and he sat up straighter. Sora looked almost disbelieving and Roxas was sure the same look was on his face. "I want him on probation."

These words, of course, caused an uproar.

"You can't do that!" Sora cried in Riku's defense.

"I've worked hard my entire life to get where I am today! How can you take that away from me on a hunch?" Riku demanded, looking livid.

"It's not permanent," Axel said. "Just until we're sure."

"And how long will that be?" Roxas demanded. "We're facing the potential threat of war and you want to put the head of the guard on _probation_?"

Axel's eyes flashed. "Don't fight me on this, Roxas. I'm serious about this, I really am. Second in command can take over as is necessary…"

"Second in command isn't as good as the Alpha, Axel!" Sora cried. "That's why they are second!"

"But it'll have to do. I'm standing firm on this."

"You can't do this!" Sora cried again.

Axel let out a hollow laugh and stared Sora straight in the eyes. "I'm king. I can do whatever the hell I want."

"Roxas!" Sora wailed, looking imploringly at his brother. Roxas noticed that Sora seemed to be fighting Riku's case more then Riku was. The silver-haired guard seemed to have taken on a grudging countenance. The blonde glanced at Axel, whose eyes were hard with his decision and then Riku, who almost looked defeated. Finally, all the blonde could do was sigh.

"I'm sorry, Riku."

He couldn't fight Axel on this. It was crucial for them to remain a united force, no matter how much he really didn't agree with the situation. Riku met his eyes and Roxas could see the disappointment there, but also the understanding. With that one look, Roxas knew that Riku understood why he was doing it and that he was forgiven for it. Sora, on the other hand, seemed highly affronted.

"You're going to regret this," he said as Riku stood to leave.

Axel's eyes narrowed and Roxas really didn't like the way the redhead was looking at his brother.

"That sounds like a threat, Sora." His words came out bitter and challenging. From the mood Sora was in, Roxas feared he might rise to said challenge.

"Axel!" Roxas snapped. "You got what you want, now can you- for once in your life-shut the hell up?" Axel was speechless long enough for Riku and Sora to leave.

"Oh yeah, nice supportive unity there, Roxas," he snapped.

The blonde glared at his husband, letting exactly what he thought of him at that moment show on his face.

"You're the one being an ass, Axel. I don't even want to look at you right now, to be completely honest."

"No one's making you!" Axel cried. With a grunt of annoyance Roxas got up and stalked from the room, slamming the door shut angrily behind him. This satisfactory illusion was a bit shattered, however, when Zexion opened the door again a moment later, slipping outside so he could keep an eye on his charge. Roxas grimaced apologetically, aware that he'd probably slammed the door in Zexion's face.

He started walking down the hall, coming to a stop when he realized how much his leg ached. He leaned against the wall a few feet from his bedroom door, listening to the sound of Axel's cussing and the sound of something breaking. True to his own fiery nature, the redhead could easily become destructive.

Roxas let out a loud sigh before slamming his fist angrily against the wall before uttering one heartfelt phrase.

"God Dammit!"


	3. Olette's Advice

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 3

Roxas stared miserably out the window of Olette and Pence's small house.

Pence had almost keeled over in surprise when he'd opened his front door to see his king standing there. After a long, slightly awkward moment, the brunet had seemed to gain control over himself and he invited Roxas in, still looking slightly perplexed.

"Um, go ahead and take a seat, your majesty. I'll be right back…" He was gone before Roxas had the chance to ask him not to be so formal. He had to smile a bit when he heard Pence calling, "OLETTE!" upstairs in a frazzled voice. A moment later, Olette's voice answered, sounding slightly peeved.

"What? Why are you screaming like a madman? I almost stabbed myself to death!"

"'Lette, the _king_ is downstairs. In our living room!"

"Really?" Olette squealed. "Oh yay! Oh don't be so ridiculous, Pence, we know Roxas." A moment later, Olette appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Pence close behind her looking almost uncertain. Her face lit up when she saw that he was, in fact, Roxas.

"Roxas!" she cried, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. He hugged her back quickly, a little more comfortable with casual touch because of Axel, but not enough as to where he felt right hugging another man's wife. When he was finally freed from Olette's grasp, he offered a hand to shake Pence's.

"It's been a while, I guess." Pence nodded.

"A few years in the least, your majesty."

Roxas laughed dully and shook his head. "Please, just call me Roxas. If I remember correctly, you stole my ice cream when we were kids. I think that constitutes for a closer relationship then ruler and subject, don't you?" Pence blushed, but couldn't hide the grin building over his face.

"Sorry, it's just a little…weird," he apologized. "I mean, we knew each other when we were kids…"

"But now I'm your king. I understand," Roxas sighed. "Though I don't know how I can be king to a whole kingdom when I can't even take care of my own love life." He muttered this last part, but Olette seemed to hear it.

"Did something happen between you and Axel?" she asked, looking concerned. Roxas sat back down and Olette sat next to him. Pence stood awkwardly for a moment, almost as if he had no idea what to do. Finally, he shifted toward the door.

"Can I get you anything to drink, your…Roxas?" he asked. The blonde looked at him almost as if surprised before he shook his head.

"No, thank you."

"What about you?" he asked Zexion, obviously needing an escape from the room. Zexion seemed to notice this as well, because he took pity on the man and requested some water. Pence flew from the room like a bat out of hell.

"I'm sorry about him," Olette said quietly. "But tell me how things have been going for you. Forgive me, but you don't seem to have very high spirits at the moment."

Roxas shook his head to show that he was, in fact, not.

"There's a lot of stuff I can't tell you about," he started.

"For obvious reasons," she agreed.

"But things are starting to get…difficult. Axel and I are butting heads on how to go about dealing with these things and-to be quite frank-he's being a real ass. We argued, I walked out, he broke something, you know how it goes," Roxas sighed, threading one of his hands in his flaxen locks in frustration. Olette heaved a sigh and patted his back in what Roxas assumed was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

"You and Axel are still pretty new at this marriage thing," Olette said gently. "You've spent the first half a year of your marriage making sure your kingdoms were okay and melding together the way they were supposed to. That's admirable, of course, but have either of you taken any time to try and fit yourselves together? I mean, you haven't known each other that long. Do you treat each other like partners and lovers or do you treat each other like friends?"

Roxas blushed and looked toward Pence, who had just reentered the room and was handing a glass of water to Zexion.

"'Lette's got a point, Roxas," he said, seeming braver now that he'd had time to get his thoughts straight. "Being married is hard work and you've really got to let go of 'you' and 'him' and become a 'we' or it isn't going to work."

Olette nodded in agreement. "When's the last time you two had sex?"

Roxas wasn't the only one who sputtered in shock. Pence stared at his wife in mortification, hand moving up to cover his face and hide the blush.

"Well?" she asked, clearly demanding an answer. Roxas could only gape at her before a blush filled his cheeks and he muttered something incoherently under his breath.

There was a long bout of silence before Olette gasped out loud. "Oh my god, you haven't, have you?" Roxas' blush increased, but he gave a quick shake of the head.

"Well, jeez, no wonder you two are having problems," she grumbled. "Married for six months and not even once? You're probably just sexually frustrated, is all."

"It runs deeper then that, Olette!" Roxas cried, in hopes of deterring any more mortifying statements.

"You'd be surprised," the knife-maker said with a grim look. "A healthy and active sex life is key to any relationship. Why, Pence and I…"

"Stop!" Roxas and Pence cried at the same time.

"Olette, there are things that I never, ever want to know about you," Roxas said seriously. "Your sex life is very high up on that list."

Olette shrugged. "It's a natural part of life, Roxas. Now, being celibate, I'd say that's something to worry about…"

Roxas stood abruptly. "You know, I think it's time for me to get back," he said, edging toward the exit. "It was nice seeing you both, but they might be worrying and…"

"Avoiding the conversation isn't going to fix anything," Olette said with a shrug. "Think about it, talk to Axel about it. It'll make things better, I promise!" she called to his retreating back.

"It's so much more then that!" Roxas yelled back before the door closed behind him. He sighed and looked Zexion with wide eyes.

"I could have lived without ever having that conversation," he informed the guard.

"I could have lived without hearing it," Zexion answered wryly. "Are we headed back up?" Roxas looked up at the sky, surprised to see that the sun had gone down. The first sprinkling of stars was spreading over the sky, which meant it had to be at least eight o' clock at night. The daylight lasted longer in the summertime. His stomach growled and he realized he'd probably missed dinner by that point.

"No, I think we should get something to eat," Roxas said decisively. "The kitchens in the castle should be closed by now, and anyway, I think I want to eat out tonight."

"Avoiding our brothers and Axel," Zexion said, more as a statement then a question. Roxas didn't bother to argue. He just nodded his head and set off in search of a place to eat.

"What do you think, Zexion?" Roxas asked. "Ne'erwasian or something more Hartz oriented?"

"Ne'erwasian tends to be spicier," Zexion said, not really giving an answer to Roxas' question. The blonde nodded in agreement before deciding that spicy sounded good.

"Ne'erwasian it is," Roxas said with finality, entering the first of the kind they came across. The hostess didn't seem to recognize him, which wasn't that much of an uncommon occurrence. He was mostly recognized only around the higher ups. Most of the commoners didn't know what the royal family looked like.

"Two, please," he said and she grabbed two menus and led them to a table, chattering cheerfully about specials. Roxas glanced over the menu, looking for anything he might recognize. The chef at the castle had taken to mixing Axel and Roxas' tastes so more often then not, they ended up with two entirely different meals. Roxas wasn't sure if he'd ever actually tried Ne'erwasian food before. When he mentioned this to Zexion, the silver-haired guard produced a ghost of a smile.

"Then you're in for a surprise, Majesty."

Eventually, Roxas just decided to let Zexion order for him, trusting the guard to know better then Roxas himself did. The dish was spicy, but no so much that Roxas couldn't stomach it. It was actually very good. They mostly remained silent throughout their meal, Zexion not being much of a talker and Roxas lost in thought about what Olette had said. Of course there was tons of sexual tension between them, but they had never acted on those feelings. Roxas wasn't really sure why they hadn't. They were married and in love, but it just had never seemed to happen. Did that really mean something was wrong with them?

With their relationship? Before they'd gotten married they'd had quite a few discussions on the subject, but neither of them had ever made any forward moves. Maybe that was the curse of marriage. It took the excitement out of sex. Something in Roxas doubted that, though. Still, he didn't want to do it just because he thought he had to. If and when they had sex, he wanted it to be because it felt right. Call him a hopeless romantic, but that's what he truly wanted. Either way, he was still too annoyed with the redhead to even truly consider the thought at the moment.

They finished their meal, paid, and left. By the time they got back up to the castle it was almost nine thirty and Roxas was exhausted. He'd been up since six that morning and the day's events had taken a lot of him. He went straight up to his room, bidding Zexion good night at the door. Axel was lounging on the bed, a book held in front of his face. He looked up at Roxas as the blonde entered the room, his face set in a pathetically remorseful way.

Roxas didn't say a word as he changed into pajamas and then brushed his teeth. Axel watched him the entire time, not saying a word. Finally, Roxas pulled back the blankets and climbed into bed beside the redhead, sitting a substantial distance farther away then normal.

"Roxy…" Axel started before stopping and frowning slightly. "You ate Ne'erwasian food," he said, sounding slightly accusatory. Roxas only nodded, wondering if the redhead could smell it on him. "I wanted to…you know what, never mind. It doesn't matter. Roxy, I'm sorry that I pissed you off earlier, but I really think I did the right thing…"

"Axel, I'm really tired," Roxas interrupted him, only slightly feeling like a terrible person as he did so.

"Oh," Axel said slowly. "Yeah, of course you are. Sorry." Roxas settled down, turning his back on Axel and making sure not to touch him. A subtle form of punishment, he thought.

"Good night, Roxas." Roxas mumbled something incoherently, cuddling into the blanket. Despite his exhaustion, he could only feign sleep until Axel extinguished the fire he was reading by and settled next to him, sneakily settling his arm around the blonde when he thought he was asleep. Roxas didn't fight it. Quite the contrary, he rolled into it, hoping that Axel thought he was still asleep as he did so.

"I know you're mad at me right now, Roxy," Axel murmured in his ear, "but I love you anyway." Roxas almost melted at the words. How was he supposed to stay mad at Axel when he was being so damn sweet?

As the warm, comfortable, familiar feeling of Axel washed over him, he drifted easily to sleep. And he didn't regret it.

---------------------

A/N: Yeah, it's shorter then the first two. It happens. But dudes, I had the worst time forcing this chapter out. My ideas are getting ahead of me and I'm trying not to rush through things, so it's making it a bit hard to write the leading scenes. Oh well…


	4. The Drill Nazi

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 4

The bedroom door slammed open with a resounding bang, making Roxas jump about a mile and a half in the air. He recovered quickly, though, and had his sword pressed up against the intruder's neck about three seconds after that. He paused only when he saw it was Leon, part of the Royal Guard. Dropping his blade, he let out a huff of breath, taking a few steps backward and collapsing onto the bed.

"Don't enter a room that way!" Roxas cried in annoyance. "What the hell is wrong with you? Next time I'll shank you through the throat first and ask questions later." The blonde fell back on the bed, trying to regulate his breathing and heartbeat from the enormous adrenaline rush he'd just received.

"I was checking your reflexes," Leon said simply. "You reacted quite well to danger, I must say."

"Leon, who the hell gave you permission to do this?" Roxas grumbled, ready to plan an execution.

"Rey Axel, sire." Roxas whipped around to glare at the redhead, who was staring at Leon as if he were crazy.

"When the hell did I tell you this was a good idea?" Axel grumbled.

"You didn't say it was a good idea, but you gave me permission to go about it by putting me in charge. In the events of Riku's probation, you said second-in-command would play the part as leader. This is how I ran things back before Riku replaced me. Ask your father." This last bit was directed at Roxas. The blonde gaped at the guard for about fifteen seconds before he whipped around once more to glare at Axel.

"I'm going to kill you!" he cried, tackling the redhead off the bed. They hit the ground with a loud thump and Axel gasped for air. "You've landed us with the Drill Nazi, Axel! Do you have any idea what kind of shit he did to my dad? He's been paranoid for years!"

"Roxas…" Axel gasped. "Get…off!" He pushed the blonde to the floor and sat up, now gasping for breath himself. Roxas felt a bit guilty for his dramatic reaction, patting Axel on the back.

"You all right?" he asked.

"You knocked…the goddamn…wind out…of me!" he gasped before starting to cough violently.

"Sorry," he muttered sheepishly, feeling increasingly ridiculous by the second.

"Leon, get out," Roxas sighed waving toward the door.

"Yes, your majesty." The brunet left the room rather quickly, slamming the door shut behind him, making them both jump again. It was a long moment before Roxas remembered he was supposed to be mad at Axel. He pulled away and set off toward the bathroom to take a shower.

By the time he was out, Axel had abandoned the room, probably to get clean somewhere else. Roxas did tend to take long showers. The blonde dressed and set off for the dining hall, frowning slightly at how much his stomach was growling. Upon entering the hall, he was attacked by something with masses of brown hair. Before he reacted violently, though, he realized that it was his mother. He hugged her back quickly but shook his head.

"Don't do that to me, mom. Leon's running the guard right now…" She pulled a sympathetic face and nodded.

"Oh, wow, sorry. What happened to Riku?" Roxas shook his head.

"It's a long story," was all he would say. She nodded and allowed him to lead her back to the table.

"Hi, dad," he greeted, taking his seat, interested to see that Axel had yet to make his appearance.

"Hey, Roxas. What's this I hear about Leon being in charge again? Are you fucking nuts?" his dad demanded, looking only a little bit crazed.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Talk to Axel about that. It's all his fault."

Axel came in almost fifteen minutes after they started eating, taking his seat next to Roxas and greeting Roxas' parents with a grin. Aeris hugged him and kissed his cheek, pushing his hair off his face, basically being a mother. Roxas could see that Axel liked it, the loss of his own mother a wound still very close to the surface. Cloud looked ready to attack Axel and demand an answer, but Roxas shook his head subtly.

"Hey," he greeted the redhead. "Where have you been?"

Axel pointed to his wet hair. "Taking a shower." Roxas didn't quite believe it, since Axel took the shortest showers of anyone he'd ever met, but he allowed it to pass.

"So, not to be rude or anything, but what are you two doing here?" Axel asked Roxas' parents.

Cloud shrugged while Aeris' green eyes lit up. "We wanted to see how you two were doing, of course!" she exclaimed. "Things are looking pretty good around here. Have you had any problems?" she asked.

"You could say that," Roxas sighed. "We're not exactly sure if it's a huge problem yet, but…" He and Axel alternated in telling he story of the mysterious man and their own conclusions that they'd drawn. Then, they told of the attack on them the day before. By the end of their tale, Cloud was frowning deeply.

"Did you get anything else out of that man?"

"No, he's been unconscious since then. We've given word to alert us if anything changes, but…I was hoping you might help me try to wake him up, mom."

Aeris looked up as if in shock before nodding her head. "Of course, Roxas. I'd be happy to help. I hope you're not planning on harassing the poor man as soon as he's conscious again, though…"

"Mom, we need to be ready at any moment. The man can recuperate after he's told us what we need to know," Roxas grumbled. The healer in Aeris was greatly protesting, but the queen in her knew that Roxas was right.

"We need to find out where he's from and who the prince is. It will hopefully make things a hell of a lot easier when we know. At least we'll know what we're up against."

Cloud nodded thoughtfully.

"I really don't like the sound of this. Why, after all these years, is this prince in danger? Just because she found him, or is it something more then that?"

"It might just be an excuse to challenge us," Axel spoke up with a shrug. "With Ne'erwas and Hartz as one, we're basically unstoppable. Maybe they're trying to tear us down before we can gain too much power."

"But we've been pushing neutrality," Roxas protested.

"But do they know that?" Axel rebuffed.

Seeing his point, Roxas merely shrugged, albeit a bit petulantly.

"Well, we've already decided we'll fight if we have to, but I'd rather avoid war. Six months of peace isn't much in the grand scheme." Axel nodded his agreement, looking a bit stressed out.

"I think our only choice will be to crush them swiftly. It sounds a bit heartless, but we can't afford to be soft, not this early on."

"You two are set on a orientation of peace, but you can't forget your roots," Cloud said sternly. "You've been trained for war since you were children. You know what to do, you know your advantages and disadvantages. Stop your petty fighting, put your knowledge together, and rule. Really rule, or stand aside and let someone else do it properly."

Cloud's words were met with some silence, only broken by the sound of forks on plates. They continued to eat in silence, Roxas stewing on his father's words. He was receiving far too much helpful advice lately. His head was going to explode if he had to over-analyze too much else. He snapped out of his thoughts again as the doors opened, revealing Leon. He set his eyes on Cloud and an honest to god smile spread over his lips. Okay, so it was a very small smile, but that was something for the king of no expression.

"Excuse me, majesty," he apologized. "I had heard your father was here and I had to wonder if the rumors were true."

"Hello, Squall," Cloud greeted, causing Leon to flinch a bit at the name. After a moment of silence, Aeris rolled her eyes and beckoned them away.

"Oh, go on, I won't stop you." Cloud actually grinned and got up from the table, going to join Leon. The pair left the room in silence, but they no doubt wouldn't shut up once they were alone.

"What…was that about?" Axel asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Cloud and Leon have been in love with each other for years," Aeris snorted with a wave of her hand and an affectionate smile on her lips.

"And that…doesn't bother you?" Axel asked.

"Not really," Aeris shrugged. "Cloud and I are very good friends, but we're not in love. The only reason we married is because Cloud doesn't have any siblings and Leon isn't a royal, so his sister couldn't bear an heir."

"That's why my parents were trying to convince me not to marry you for politics," Roxas informed Axel. "Because Dad and Leon couldn't be together for the very same reason."

"But it worked out for us, right?" Axel asked quietly, and Roxas could see the redhead almost daring him to say it hadn't.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed. "It did." Axel grinned and pressed a kiss to his cheek, mindful of Roxas' PDA phobia. Before pulling away, he murmured, "You know, I really am sorry for being such an ass yesterday."

"Tell that to Riku," Roxas said with a shrug.

Axel paled slightly, looking away. "Yeah, I was a jackass to him, wasn't I? I mean, I'm not saying I regret my decision, but I do feel pretty bad about the way I went about it…"

"I think Riku understood why we did it," Roxas said with a shrug. "He knows at this point that we can't be too careful. I think the one you really have to worry about it Sora. He's _pissed_."

Axel nodded and Aeris cleared her throat.

"You know boys, I'm still right here. I can't hear what you're talking about but you can save your sweet nothings for when your mother isn't around, can't you?"

Axel's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Aeris and he almost looked a bit sheepish. Aeris seemed to notice this as well because she smiled and shrugged.

"Well, mother-in-law, technically, but I still consider you my son, Axel."

Axel bit his lip. Roxas assumed he was trying to think of some way to respond to that. Finally, he seemed to get a hold of himself.

"Thanks, Aeris," he said with a sad smile. "I appreciate that."

"I think Tifa would have wanted it, don't you?" Aeris sighed. At Axel's continued silence, she shrugged.

"Well…should we try and wake this man up, then?" Roxas nodded his agreement, glad to have an excuse to break the heavy silence.

They departed from the dining room and set off toward the hospital. Hopefully, they would gain the information they needed.

----------------

A/N: I just beat Kingdom Hearts 2 again. I am now watching/listening to the credits as I write this. Sanctuary is an all right song, but I greatly prefer Simple and Clean. My favorite is the main orchestral theme to both the games, though, because I find it beautiful. I listen to it on my iPod all the time. Maybe that's just the orchestra geek in me though…

So, I beat all the Organization members in one try (which is amazing because I usually have a lot of trouble with Xaldin and Luxord) except for Demyx. How pathetic is that? His stupid water nymphs make me wanna kick puppies. 'Nuff said.

In other news, I got a cell phone today, and the last three digits of my number are 813. How freaking cool/geeky is that?

Review!


	5. Curses

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 5

Roxas, Axel, and Aeris waited almost impatiently around the infirmary for the doctor to allow them in. Technically, they could just order the man to let them in, but-however grudgingly they admitted it-they understood the doctor probably knew best. Roxas and Axel had resorted to playing a skewed version of hangman on the floor, the game board made completely of fire. Every time Roxas got a wrong answer, the little man came closer and closer to burning. Aeris watched, looking torn between amusement and exasperation.

"Um…'R'?" Roxas guessed. The little man's head caught on fire and the figure spent a good twenty seconds running about in frenzied agony.

"Sorry, Roxy," Axel said with a grin. "We were actually looking for 'mononucleosis'." The word filled into the empty spaces on the floor, glinting at him in a taunting way. Roxas snorted, figuring the little man would be screaming if Axel could make it happen.

"What the hell kind of word is that?" he demanded.

"It's a disease!" Axel cried indignantly. "It was widespread around the youth in Ne'erwas when I was about fifteen. You get it from kissing people. Makes you real tired and all that fun stuff."

"You've had it?" Roxas asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Of course," Axel snorted. "You know how much I like kissing, Roxy."

"Remind me never to kiss you again," Roxas grumbled jokingly. The redhead-in a true showing of his mature and adult nature-leaned over and licked Roxas' cheek. The blonde wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react to that, so he just stopped and stared. Axel grinned cheekily and shrugged as if to say, 'what?'.

"What…" Roxas paused. "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing," Axel shrugged. "I'm just so glad you aren't pissed at me anymore."

"So you lick me? I wasn't aware that you were canine." As Axel laughed, the door opened. The doctor, a short, pointy-nosed man by the name of Finkelstein came out and stared at them in exasperation, almost as if he hadn't taken them true to their word to wait.

"All right, all right. He's pretty stable at this point, so you can come in. I don't see what good it's going to do, though. He's still unconscious."

Roxas thanked him and ushered his mother and Axel into the room before the doctor could change his mind. He shut the door behind him, flicking the lock as he did this. He didn't want Finkelstein busting in during the healing process. It would take all of both his and his mother's concentration to heal the man without hurting themselves in the process. It was true that Aeris was a much better healer then Roxas was, but healing by magic wasn't a perfect science and people could get hurt if they messed up.

The man was lying on a bed, his eyes closed tightly and most of his wounds bandaged. Even in his sleep, he looked sort of gruff, his black hair disheveled, though Roxas wasn't sure whether it was like that naturally or just because he had been so badly injured and obviously traveling through the desert for days. On horse, the trip took almost two weeks from the farthest extent west and just over a week going east. The whole of Nadie took up almost half of Gaia Province. To reach the capital city, one had to cross through miles and miles of desert on either side. It was a harrowing journey and from the looks of things, the man had walked the trip. He'd probably been in the desert for at least three weeks, the only source of water being a river that ran about halfway between the start of the desert and the capital to the west and a lake quite a few miles away to the east. Frankly, he was lucky he hadn't died of dehydration.

Roxas moved around to the other side of the bed, glancing around to see if the man had any obvious injuries that might hinder their attempt to wake him. He didn't immediately see any, and he looked up to report this news to his mother, only to see her staring at the man with wide eyes, a hand to her lips as if in shock.

"Mom?" Roxas asked. "Are you all right?" Axel pushed away from his leaning place against the wall and approached the bed, looking at Aeris with poorly shielded concern.

"I don't believe it!" she cried finally. "Oh…I just…I never imagined…"

"Mom?" Roxas tried again. Axel placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, his large mitt making her look even smaller then she actually was.

"This…this is Zack Fair," she said quietly.

Roxas blinked rapidly for a moment before asking, "You know him?"

She nodded, biting her lip, looking uncertain.

"I grew up with him," she said slowly. "We were…well, we were lovers before I married your father, Roxas."

"So…wait a minute…" Roxas said slowly. "It's Midgar that's threatening us? But that doesn't make any sense…!"

"Why not?" Axel asked with a shrug. "We're a powerful nation, Roxy. People are likely to fear us and humans have the tendency to try and destroy the things that they fear. It actually makes sense."

Roxas shook his head impatiently. "No, Aku, you don't understand. It doesn't make sense because the king of Midgar is my uncle Rufus. My mom's brother. We've had an alliance with them since my parents married. Besides that, Midgar is ruled by a king, not a queen, and Zack specifically said 'queen' quite a few times."

"Well…uh, yeah, I guess…but…" Axel couldn't seem to find a good excuse.

"If I may interrupt, boys, I can explain," Aeris said, looking slightly amused at their argument. They both stopped and turned to look at her. Aeris watched them for a moment as if making sure that they were actually going to stay quiet for her story before starting.

"My father died when I was a young girl and Rufus ascended to the throne. He was only fourteen and not very well versed in the ways of being a king quite yet. He was still a child, after all. Not long after he took the throne, Midgar was ravaged by a terrible Civil War. Rufus was afraid that I might be hurt in the crossfire, so he contacted the only place he held an alliance with that wasn't having war issues. The king agreed to take me in and keep me safe, so I went to live in Hollow Bastion. I was only seven, so you can understand I was frightened at the prospect of leaving my brother behind. When I reached Hollow Bastion, I refused to leave my room for days.

"The king in those days finally sent Zack to try and coax me from my room. At first, I refused to relent, but eventually he warmed me up to him and I would allow him in. After a few weeks, we were inseparable, exploring the castle together, causing all sorts of mischief. As time went on, we became a couple and…well, I was in love with him. I don't know how he felt…well, I'm getting off subject. Anyway, the summer I turned seventeen, the king died. His son had been supposed to ascend to the throne, but it appeared that he had disappeared. No one had any idea where he might have gone, so the king's sister seized the throne. Shortly after, Rufus sent me to Hartz, informing me that he'd arranged my marriage. I never saw Zack again after that."

Roxas spent a moment trying to absorb all this information. He'd long ago accepted that his parents weren't in love with each other, but it was strange to hear her talk about it so blatantly.

"Mom…" Roxas said slowly. "Do you know who the prince is?"

Aeris shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Roxas, but I don't. All I know is that he was just about six years old when he disappeared. He was never seen outside of his own personal chambers because his father feared that he might be killed if he were allowed to wander about. The king was paranoid, but I suppose with good cause. I do believe his sister killed him in desire for power. We all believed that she had killed the prince as well. Oh, I wish I could remember his name!"

"Well…he would know, wouldn't he?" Axel asked, motioning to Zack. "I mean, he knew where to find the prince, so obviously he must know who the prince is."

Aeris' eyes widened in the slightest and she nodded quickly. "I think Zack was family to the king, though I'm not sure how…Roxas we have to wake him up, right now!" An angry slamming on the door stopped them from beginning to attempt. It was too distracting to try and heal with such a clamor. When Axel hesitated, Roxas took it upon himself to open the door. Dr. Finkelstein looked livid, a vein in his forehead looking like it might burst at any moment.

"No, no, no!" he cried. "Absolutely not, I forbid it!" The three stared at the doctor incredulously, but he kept raving, seemingly unnoticing. "I cannot allow you to heal this man by magical means! It will stress his body out far too much!"

"I don't think you understand the urgency…" Roxas tried to explain, but the doctor blatantly refused to listen.

"No!" he reiterated, either not thinking about or not caring that he was forbidding his king from doing something. "This man is my patient, Majesties, and he is not your subject. I am the only man in this kingdom qualified to correct you on anything without running the risk of death, and I feel I must take hold of that privilege. If you try to revive him in this condition, he will die and you run the risk of killing yourselves in the process."

Axel stood straighter, eyes focusing on the doctor and becoming immensely serious with this new piece of information.

"Maybe we should listen to him, Roxy," he said slowly.

"It will be fine," Roxas insisted with a wave of his hand. "I've scouted his injuries and I've healed worse all by myself."

"Only once," Finkelstein sneered. "And, with all due respect your majesty, that was a fluke. You should have both died from that little stunt you pulled. It was only dumb luck that you managed to save King Axel and not kill yourself in the process. I wouldn't count on it happening again."

"But I'm a much more practiced healer then Roxas is. With my guidance, we can heal him together…"

"You don't understand, m'lady," Finkelstein snapped, looking like he was quickly losing patience. "He's been cursed quite discreetly. He took a huge chance in escaping and coming here to us. Someone has wrapped tendrils of darkness around his heart. This darkness steals his energy little by little, and he spent so much of it on his journey here, he won't wake up until the darkness is gone. If you try to heal him, it will just absorb both of your energies as well, until you're both dead. You'll be unable to pull away from it."

This left them without any arguments, and Aeris looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

"How do we get rid of it?" she demanded, her eyes welling with tears.

"I'm afraid the only way is for the person who cast the spell to either remove it or die."

Axel cussed angrily and Roxas let out a defeated sigh, leaning back against the wall. "I guess we're back to square one," he said.

Finkelstein looked very much like he wanted to dismiss them all from the room, so Roxas took initiative for him.

"Come on. Let's go," he sighed in defeat, taking his mother's arm gently and leading her from the room. Halfway along their route, Aeris broke away and went off on her own. Roxas sighed and shook his head helplessly.

"Shit, Axel. What are we going to do about this?" he murmured.

"I'm not sure," Axel admitted. "I really wish Riku wasn't so suspicious. I have to admit, I'd feel better if he were in charge right now."

"Well, you should have thought about that before you unfairly suspended him," a voice snapped. Axel glanced at Roxas, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Oh come on, Roxy. Are you going to start being hostile again?"

"I know why you did it," Roxas said with a roll of his eyes. "That was Sora's voice, not mine…we don't even sound that much alike, by the way…" Sure enough, Sora was standing in a nearby doorway, glowering at the redhead murderously. His gaze switched to Roxas, becoming betrayed.

"Roxas, how can you do this to Riku?" the brunet demanded, approaching them, his fists clenched tightly. "You know he didn't do anything wrong. How can you be so accepting of this when an innocent man is being punished?"

Roxas sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Sora, it really isn't so simple. We can't prove that Riku's innocent or guilty, so it's safer to keep him on probation for the time being…"

"Is it really safer? Something terrible is brewing, Roxas. You mentioned the possibility of war yesterday. If that's the case, you need Riku. I know you do."

"Sora, if it comes to that, we won't keep Riku out of it," Roxas sighed. "But I would think that you'd be hesitant to send your lover out into the heat of war." Sora bit his lip and looked away, his shoulders sagging.

"If Riku goes out there, I'm going with him," he finally said. "I won't stand on the sidelines while he fights…but that's not the point right now, Rox! It's only been a day and he's already restless and paranoid."

"Um…isn't he always paranoid?" Axel spoke up. Sora fixed another glare on him, eyes narrow.

"It's worse then usual," he spat venomously. Roxas had never seen Sora so upset in his life. He was a bit taken aback by it all. "He's so worried about leaving you two in the hands of someone else. The both of you. He's such a good person, he's worried about _you_," Sora pointed an accusatory finger at Axel, "even though you're the one who screwed him over!

"Sora!" Roxas snapped, finally losing his patience. "We're in a really precarious position right now and we can't afford to make any mistakes. The last time we overlooked the suspicious behavior of people close to us, Tifa died and I almost went with her. I trust Riku implicitly, but Axel's got a bad feeling. He made a decision and I backed him up because, no matter if I agree or not, we have to be a united front. When Axel feels assured of Riku's loyalties, then we'll talk, but for now you need to let it go."

Sora was so upset, Roxas could feel his magic crackling in the air. He tensed up, waiting to see what would happen. The light began to take form, and it lashed out at Axel. Without any hesitation at all, Roxas threw himself in front of Axel and absorbed the energy from the light into his own body, converting the familiar magic into energy that wouldn't harm him.

Everything went completely still and Sora's eyes got as wide as saucers. He took a step backwards, raising his hands up in front of him, palms outward.

"I…Roxas, I didn't mean…"

"Sora…" Roxas said slowly, not quite sure what to do. "Do you realize that you've just committed treason?"

"I didn't mean to!" Sora cried, dropping to his knees and bowing his head almost to the floor. "I just…I lost control of it! I didn't mean it!" Roxas watched his blubbering brother in shock as he took Axel's hand in his own and kissed his knuckles, a position left for the lowest of servants. "Forgive me, my rey," he murmured desperately. Demyx, Zexion, and a blonde named Cid, who was apparently Sora's replacement guard, stood around the brunet, but didn't move to touch him. It seemed as if they were waiting for Axel's order to cut him down. Axel opened his mouth to speak, but before he could even utter a syllable, Riku, emerged from the doorway Sora had previously been standing in, eyes slightly manic.

"Riku, how long have you been standing there?" Roxas asked quietly.

"Long enough to hear that you'll lift my probation if we go to war," Riku said, his eyes focusing on Sora cowering on the floor. He slowly dropped to his knees, grabbing his hair up with his hand and pulling it over his shoulder before bowing his head.

"Please…don't punish Sora. He was upset and lost control on my behalf. This is my fault. I'll take his place."

"No!" Sora cried, clutching Axel's hand tighter. "I'm at fault. Don't punish Riku anymore. He hasn't done anything wrong! I'll take the punishment I deserve." Axel gently pulled his hand from Sora's grasp and took a few steps back. Riku tensed and Sora swallowed hard, waiting for Axel's verdict. Even Roxas was tense and nervous. Treason was an act punishable by death, but Sora was his twin brother.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Axel said finally. "Stop groveling on the floor, you're a prince, act like one." Sora's head snapped up and he stared at Axel incredulously. A wave of relief swept through Roxas and Riku's shoulders relaxed.

"But I…I committed treason…" Sora protested. Roxas wanted to smack his brother over the head for his stupidity.

"Those are dangerous words, Sora," Axel said warningly. "I'd recommend you not talk about such things. Someone might think you were serious."

"But I…"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing happened," Axel snapped, turning on his heel and striding off down the hall. Riku pulled Sora into a tight hug, clutching the teen as if to make sure he really was there.

"Never, ever do that again, Sora. Do you understand me?" he demanded. "I really thought you were a goner for a moment. You're so lucky it was Axel."

"What…just happened, Riku?" Sora asked, looking confused.

"By denying it happened at all, you don't have to die for it. Axel just saved your goddamned life." Sora deflated, looking pale and full of regret. Roxas wondered if he felt guilty for all the things he'd said now. The blonde nodded at Zexion and started to walk away, but Sora's voice stopped him.

"Roxas…tell Axel I'm sorry." Roxas stopped, but didn't look back.

"For what?" he asked, carrying on Axel's façade.

"For…" Sora trailed off and after a moment he just let out a low laugh. "All right…I get it." Roxas kept walking, but he stopped at the end of the hall, his hand clenching the doorknob tightly.

"Sora?" he called.

"Yeah?" he brother answered, his voice echoing in the hallway.

"I'll tell him."

Roxas caught up to Axel a few hallways later, and he couldn't help pulling the redhead into a long kiss. When he finally pulled away, he wrapped his arms around Axel's middle, hugging him tightly. Axel held him just as tightly, placing a kiss in his hair.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Because I love you," he answered contentedly. "And for what didn't just happen with Sora." Axel let out an unhappy chuckle and gave him an extra squeeze.

"I can't believe what didn't happen just now," he sighed.

"Me either," Roxas sighed. "Hopefully what didn't happen…won't…not happen…again…? Oh shit, this is getting confusing. Just enjoy it."

Axel laughed out loud and placed another kiss on Roxas' lips, apparently intent on 'just enjoying it'.

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A/N: Sora trying to kill Axel? Gasp! But no worries, Sora's not bent on the destruction of our favorite redheaded pyro. He's just frustrated and maybe a little bit self-righteous. But we love him anyway.

As for Axel, what a good guy. I mean, really, I'm so proud of him. He coulda been all Queen of Hearts (or king of Hartz-I'm clever as hell, I know) and been like "Off with his head!" but he wasn't. It makes me love him that much more. God, I'm pathetic…

Zack? Well if you've read any of my other stuff, you know I can't resist a nice Zack/Aeris pairing, even if Zack's not technically in KH (neither is Reno, for that matter…)

And yes, Dr. Finkelstein is, in fact, the very same as the mad scientist from NBC. Okay…did I cover everything? I do believe so. If I've confused you in any way and haven't cleared it up with that whole spiel up there, don't be afraid to ask! I only bite on Wednesdays, and I think you're safe through your computer screen…


	6. Nightmares

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 6

Two weeks later, Roxas awoke to a somewhat familiar-though not comforting-sound. Axel was screaming in his nightmares again, something he did about three times a month. Roxas had never gotten Axel to admit to what it was that made his scream like that, but he had a pretty good idea. They'd both been fighting in wars since they were about twelve years old. That was enough to give anyone scream-worthy nightmares. After six months of waking up to it, Roxas knew how to deal with the screaming.

He rolled over so that he was facing Axel and gently took the redhead's hands, which were clenched tightly. As gently as he could, he worked the fingers until they slowly unclenched. Then he moved closer, wrapping his arms around Axel's chest and kissing his cheek lightly. Roxas placed his lips next to Axel's ear and talked to him calmly, assuring him it was just a dream and that it was all over. That nothing could hurt him now.

Slowly but surely, the screams died away. In his sleep, Axel curled himself around Roxas, hugging the blonde tightly, and relaxing completely. Pleased that he'd managed to do it without waking Axel up, Roxas loosened up and rested his head against the king's chest, prepared to fall back asleep.

The door slammed open, making the blonde jump a mile. Leon entered, sword held at the ready, eyes sweeping the room. Axel jerked awake, ruining all Roxas' work.

"Leon, what the hell?" Axel grumbled sleepily. "I thought I specifically told you not to wake us up like this anymore."

"Excuse me, my rey, but I thought I heard screaming." Roxas' mind instantly flashed back to Larxene, who had said the very same thing in the very same situation. Roxas realized they'd forgotten to inform Leon of Axel's nightmares.

"It's fine," Roxas assured Leon. "Nothing bad has happened. Axel…" The blonde trailed off, looking at the redhead as if asking for permission to speak.

"I have nightmares sometimes. Makes me scream. Sorry," Axel said gruffly, looking away. Axel didn't like people knowing that he woke up screaming, but nearly the entire Guard was aware of it. Only a select few that had never stood guard outside their door at night didn't know. The very first night that Riku had taken shift outside their door was one of the worse nights. He'd busted into the room, ready to tear someone apart, only to find Roxas hurriedly trying to wake the redhead up. He'd decided then that they had to tell, or otherwise be scaring the guards out of their minds every few nights. They were all sworn to secrecy, but if someone let something slip, it would be hard to cover up. Royalty needed to seem flawless and strong at all times and nightmares didn't fit that description. They could execute the one who told, but the damage would already be done.

"Go ahead back out, Leon," Roxas dismissed. The brunet left rather reluctantly and Roxas inched back down on the bed, wrapping his arms around Axel and taking his former position.

"Sorry for waking you up, Roxy," Axel murmured, sounding just as guilty as he did every other time.

"It's no problem, Axel, really," Roxas assured him. "You wanna tell me about it?"

Axel snorted softly. "Have I ever?"

Roxas grimaced. "It was worth a try to ask, wasn't it? You know I'm always ready to listen, if you ever want to tell me."

"I know."

"Just try and fall back to sleep, all right?" Roxas brushed Axel's cheek with a kiss as he closed his eyes and tried to follow Roxas' instructions.

After about twenty minutes, neither of them had managed to fall asleep. Though Axel's eyes stayed shut, he retained that slight rigidness that he always had when he was awake. Often times, after Axel woke up with nightmares, he couldn't fall back to sleep afterwards. Roxas had found that this affected him as well. He could never drift off again until Axel did first.

This left him with some thinking time, though he would much rather be sleeping. Things over the last two weeks had been less then eventful. Roxas and Axel had the Guard on high alert, keeping watch out for anything that seemed like it could be an attack, which made the commoners a bit nervous. Zack hadn't made any progress and, though they had a good idea of where the attack might come from, they weren't sure how to go about confronting the problem. If the Queen of Hollow Bastion was as awful as she sounded, things could get messy very fast if they took even one wrong step. She wanted to kill the prince so that she could continue to rule, and Roxas didn't think simply talking would rid her of that desire. That would be far too easy.

To alert her that they knew of her plans would surely incite war. While Roxas was fairly confident they could survive that route, he'd rather not even have to consider it. Either way, when she finally made her request, they would deny her. When they did that, things would get ugly. Were they prepared to face the full-throttle attack of a woman who had murdered her own brother in cold blood? Probably so. It wouldn't be the worst thing Roxas had ever faced by far, but that didn't mean he wanted it to happen.

Still, he couldn't base plans of action on his wants. He'd never been the main commander of a military before. It was actually quite unsettling. He'd led platoons and such, but he'd never held all the power. He'd taken orders from his father before he'd become king, and afterwards had been times of peace.

Roxas and Axel both had their experience and each other to lean on for support, but that was a double edged sword. They were experienced only in fighting each other and, while they were both fairly good at plotting, they saw the world in different ways. Their orders couldn't be clashing, so they'd really have to be a combined effort, which was harder then it sounded. They were both a bit too stubborn for completely smooth compromise.

Roxas could see no other way around it then war. Unless, of course, if they could find out who the prince was. If they could figure it out and then convince the prince to take his throne back, there would be no need for them to really get that much involved. Of course they would offer their support if he was in need of it, but with the way Zack went through hell and back to relay a message merely to protect the prince, Roxas had the feeling his own kingdom wouldn't turn against him so quickly. They all believed their prince to be dead, but if they were to find out that it had all been a lie, they would want him back, wouldn't they? In theory, anyone would be better then a ruthless killer. Roxas was determined to return the fallen prince to his throne. It would help both their kingdoms in the end, and forging an alliance with Hollow Bastion under the rule of its rightful king would make them virtually unstoppable. It was a convenient and smart match. But then again, he was getting ahead of himself, wasn't he? Fix one problem before you start another.

Axel's breathing had deepened and gained a slow and steady pace. Roxas didn't dare lift his head for fear of waking him up.

"Axel?" he whispered quietly. "Ax, are you awake?" When he received no reply, he smiled softly to himself. He didn't think Axel had fallen back to sleep so quickly after a nightmare in a while. Pressing a kiss to the redhead's chest, Roxas' body relaxed and he slipped off into a slumber shortly thereafter.

------------------

A/N: Ah! Yes, I know, it's so short! I'm having the worst trouble writing lately. I think my fountain of ideas is drying up! Noooooo! Well, I guess we'll just have to see, won't we? Maybe I should light some shrine candles for my muse…


	7. The Kingdoms Left Behind

A/N: Ha! The shrine candles for my muse worked! I was hit with inspiration in geometry (again) today! At this rate, I'll never pass that class, but at least I'll have good writing material, no?

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 7

It was another whole week before anything of consequence happened, and when it did, the shit hit the fan all at once. The day started off innocently enough, all things considered. They ate breakfast, did some boring but necessary work, and took a stroll around the castle and marketplace. It was when they were heading to the throne room that the first piece of bad news reached them.

"So I told the guy that there was no way in hell we could grant him permission to smuggle three thousand stolen chocobos across the desert. I mean, how do you smuggle even one giant bird anywhere?"

Roxas threw back his head and laughed at Axel's tale.

"Well…actually, you know, I have absolutely no idea. You'd think they would attract attention. Chocobos are rather rare around here…how did he even steal them?"

"Beats the hell out of me. In the end, we had to…" Axel trailed off, throwing out an arm to catch Roxas in the chest and keep him from stepping any farther forward. Roxas blinked in confusion for a moment before he noticed what Axel had already seen. An inky black spot was stretching across the floor, much like the one that had produced the imps that had attacked them. Demyx and Zexion were in front of them in seconds, weapons drawn and at the ready should they be of need.

Roxas couldn't help the sinking feeling in his gut. If they were attacked there, they wouldn't be able to stop the assault. Not with just the four of them. Roxas was ready to summon his weapons at a moment's notice, but after half a minute or so, he began to grow curious.

"Majesties…" Zexion said slowly as if he wasn't quite sure of anything. "I think you should look at this." Roxas peered cautiously over Zexion's shoulder, gasping aloud when he saw that the inky blackness had taken on the form of letters.

"_We're coming to claim our prince. If you care for the kingdoms left behind, you will not attempt to hinder our mission." _The note was signed with a loopy 'M'.

"Something tells me that's not a warning," Axel said with a low growl. "But what does she mean, 'kingdoms left behind'?" Roxas merely shrugged, not seeing any sense in the words.

"The answer is no." The blonde snapped at the ground, gasping in surprise as his words formed in the darkness and sunk through the floor, no doubt to deliver the message to its sender.

"Oops," he muttered.

"Do you think, perhaps, she means the locations of the old kingdoms?" Zexion piped up, eyebrows rising deftly. Axel straightened up considerably, fists clenching.

"You think she'll attack Ne'erwas and Hartz," he said through clenched teeth.

"Shit," Roxas muttered, tensing up as well. "Most of the army has to be kept here. She must know the old kingdoms are undermanned. If we send out more troops, we'll have to halve them, and then everywhere will be shorthanded."

Axel nodded in agreement, eyes flashing around as if expecting to find the answer presented to him from thin air.

"Son of a bitch," he growled. "I don't feel right leaving them all out there alone. They shouldn't be punished for not wanting to leave the place they've known their entire lives. But we can't send any more troops…"

"We'll go," Roxas said quickly as the idea popped into his head. "I'll go to Hartz, you to Ne'erwas. It won't be that much more of a stronghold, but it will certainly raise morale. Sometimes that's all you need."

The look on Axel's face clearly said that he liked that idea.

"What?" Demyx squawked. "But…what about everyone here?"

"They'll have the whole military at their disposal," Roxas spoke impatiently.

"What if this is a ruse to get you away from Twilight Town?" Zexion interjected.

"It's a chance we'll have to take. Either way, I doubt it. It's not us she's after." Axel quickly shut that thought down. "Zexion, alert the stables to prepare our horses for the journey. Demyx, tell Leon to meet us at our chambers."

After a shared look and a moment's hesitation on the Guards' part, they both nodded and took off down the hall at a run. Roxas and Axel headed in the opposite direction, slipping into a shortcut passage three halls down. This one led to a room a hall away from their bedroom.

Getting ready to go was a rushed affair, the pair dressing for a long horse ride and grabbing any extra weapons they could think of. Leon burst into the room after a few minutes, protesting loudly as he went.

"Are you insane? You can't leave right when everything is going to hell! If she attacks while you're there, you'll die!"

"Better to die watching out for our people then hiding away," Axel responded. Roxas interrupted Leon's next protests before they even started.

"Your concern is noted Leon, now listen up," Roxas snapped, not having time nor patience to listen to all the reasons why what they were doing was a terrible idea. "I want this entire place on lockdown. Nothing and no one gets in or out until Axel or I give the word, you got that?" He continued at Leon's nod.

"I don't know how long we'll be gone and I don't know what's going to happen, but I trust that you'll be ready for anything. I want you to keep things in order in our absence."

"Sora's going to be running things while we're gone," Axel spoke up, his voice muffled from where his head was stuck in the closet, "But if the time comes for military action, I want you to do what you think is best for the people. Keep them safe, above all else."

Leon nodded, his stormy gray eyes flashing dangerously. He seemed to have accepted the fact that they weren't going to listen to his protests.

"I must insist that you bring at least two people a piece with you," he said after a moment of silence. "Personal guards and one other. I don't trust the feeling in the air." Roxas hesitated, glancing across the room at Axel, who rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"All right," Roxas agreed. "Any suggestions?"

"Whoever was the most well-liked Guard in the kingdoms of old," Leon responded.

"Xigbar," Axel said immediately.

"Riku," Roxas answered in the same breath, focusing on Axel again. The redhead stared back. They watched each other for about half a minute before Axel nodded.

"We don't have time to argue about it. Take Riku, then."

"Leon, alert Riku and Xigbar. Tell them to be ready to go in ten minutes or we ride alone." Leon nodded curtly and rushed off.

Axel and Roxas continued getting ready and rushed off down toward the stables. The entire group assembled basically at the same time, and Roxas tried to ignore the structured chaos that was taking place all around them as the castle prepared to lock down. He nodded at Riku and Zexion, who would be accompanying him and then to Demyx and Xigbar.

"You two, take care of him. Don't let him do anything stupid," Roxas instructed the guards. The blonde then turned to look up at Axel, eyes blazing, stomach clenching with worry, knowing that, if things went wrong, they might never see each other again.

"Stay safe," was all he could say. Axel nodded, trying to crack a grin, but failing miserably.

"You too, Roxas." Axel said, grabbing him roughly around the middle and pulling the blonde forward into a hard, searing, wonderful kiss. A kiss that was a clearly a potential goodbye. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Roxas answered breathlessly. "Come back to me in one piece or I'll fucking kill you."

He turned away before he lost control of his emotions, casting a quick glance at Zexion and Riku, who were saying goodbye to their own loves.

"Let's go," he barked, swinging himself up onto Luz's back.

"Don't falter, Sora," he offered as final advice to his brother before spurring Luz on and taking off at a fast pace across the courtyard. He could hear Zexion and Riku follow behind him. The gates opened before him, allowing him out into the town. He could hear people calling out, but he steadily ignored them. His one mission now was to get back to Hartz castle as fast as possible.

He couldn't allow himself to look back. If he did, he might see Axel, and then he might not be able to go through with it. He knew what they were doing might be a death sentence. But they had to do it.

Not long into the desert, Riku drew up beside Roxas, shouting to be heard above the thundering of hooves.

"Majesty, what exactly is going on? Leon told me the basic gist, but I'm not quite sure I follow."

"There's not much to follow," Roxas answered with a shrug. "We've figured out that the prince is from Hollow Bastion. The queen has threatened the castles of Hartz and Ne'erwas, probably knowing that most of the army resides in the new location. Axel and I are going to each of the old kingdoms so that we can be available if anything bad happens."

"So…wait a moment here…you're telling me that right now, I'm following you toward your potential death?"

"Just like old times," Roxas nodded in agreement.

"Except in old times you weren't stupidly throwing yourself into fruitless danger with only two allies at your back!" Riku protested. "What the hell has Leon been doing if he's allowing this sort of thing?"

"Leon didn't have much choice in the matter. I have to admit, though, I do miss working with you. Leon's efficient, but it's not the same, you know? Axel's regretting being an idiot, too, but he's too stubborn to admit that he was wrong. But I'm working on him, I promise."

"You realize that you're insane, don't you?" Riku asked a few minutes later.

"The best leaders always are," Roxas answered with a grin.

Riku's laughter accompanied them along their ride.


	8. Preparations

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 8

The old castle was a welcoming sight for their small party when they finally reached it. The sun was low on the horizon, almost completely set. Roxas was a bit surprised to realize that it didn't feel like home as much as the castle in Twilight Town did. He wasn't quite sure why, but he had high suspicions that it had a lot to do with Axel. With the thought of his redheaded love, Roxas' heart clenched just in the slightest. He wondered how Axel was doing and whether they'd reached Ne'erwas yet.

They reached the gate and Riku rapped on the metal bars, sending a clanging noise throughout the entire area. A guard in the crow's nest popped his head out, looking much like he'd previously been asleep.

"What?" he cried in annoyance. "Can't you see…Your Majesty!" The man let out a squeak of disbelief and hurriedly opened the gate. He started climbing down from the crow's nest as they entered, kneeling beside Roxas' horse as soon as he got to the ground.

"Forgive my insolence, majesty, I did not realize who was knocking."

"I would expect that you would treat anyone happening upon this place with the respect and dignity they deserve. Your foul actions reflect badly on me," Roxas said sternly.

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty. I apologize."

"Get back up there and sound the alert. I need to speak with…whoever is in charge here." He looked at Riku.

"Who _is_ in charge here?"

"Lexaeus," Riku answered, raising an eyebrow as if to silently say that Roxas should have known that. Which, really, he should have.

"Is something wrong, Your Majesty?" the gatekeeper asked curiously.

"If there's not, there will be," Roxas sighed quietly. Louder, he said, "Well, get to it, then!" The gatekeeper nodded and jumped to his feet, scrambling back up to the nest and relaying Roxas' message over the loud speaker.

"Come on," Roxas instructed, spurring his horse in the direction of the stable. By the time they reached it, tons of people were gathered waiting for him. He could see Lexaeus' head high above everyone else's, looking at him in concern. Greetings babbled at him from all around. They all seemed ecstatic to see him, and completely unaware of the danger they faced. Riku and Zexion were also receiving enthusiastic greetings, both looking more then a little uncomfortable with all the attention. As guards, they were used to blending into the background.

Roxas hopped off of Luz's back, handing off the reins to a stable hand that had managed to break through the near-impenetrable crowd. Riku and Zexion followed quickly, sticking closely to their king. Riku put on his Scary Royal Guard face and forced their way through the crowd. A hand reached out and grabbed Roxas' wrist tightly, forcing the blonde to a stop.

"Hey!" Zexion snapped, snatching the hand. "Remove your hand from His Majesty or I'll remove it from your arm." The hand instantly let go and Zexion gently pushed Roxas forward. Like his brother, Zexion didn't like trying to guard him in large crowds. He insisted that there were too many opportunities for someone to slip past him. Roxas figured it was some sort of occupational hazard. He'd never once met a guard who wasn't paranoid.

It took several minutes for them to actually get into the castle, and then a few more to reach the privacy of the throne room. Roxas let out a sigh of relief as the doors slammed shut, hiding them from the view of all the commoners. He crossed the room in several large bounds, dropping unceremoniously into the throne, leaning his head against the high back.

Riku, Zexion, and Lexaeus all remained silent, waiting for Roxas to initiate the conversation. Exhaustion was quickly sweeping over him, the muscles in his shoulders and back tense, and a throbbing headache building up just above his left ear. What he wanted more then anything was to sleep, but they didn't have the time for that now. They had to plan and be ready for anything at any moment. Now that the initial rush of the plan was wearing off, he wasn't sure whether or not it had been that wise of a plan. He couldn't back out now, but he had to wonder if he'd signed his own death warrant.

"Lexaeus," Roxas spoke up after an extended period of silence.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I'm not here for a social visit."

"I feared as much, Your Majesty. We received a threat this morning, but I could find no way to get a message out to you in time. I had feared the worst."

"I'm afraid we can't relax just yet," Roxas sighed. "We received a threat as well, for both here and Ne'erwas. We can't afford to pull any troops out of the capital, so Axel and I split up. We're hoping that by being here when the raids start, morale will be higher. I admit it isn't much to go on, but I couldn't stand aside and let you all get hit with the barrage while I was safe and far away."

"It goes against the grain to put you in such danger, Majesty…" Lexaeus started to protest.

"I've come here to help, and that is what I'll do," Roxas said shortly, leaving no room for argument. "Now, tell me about this threat you received."

Lexaeus went on to explain that the message had been relayed in the same way that Roxas and Axel had received theirs. It made no mention of the prince, just warning them that they would all be dead before the night had run it's course.

"Have you taken any evasive action?" Roxas demanded, a sick feeling coming over him. The sun was just about set. Would the attack start soon?

"I've ordered every able-bodied man to be ready to fight," Lexaeus said. "I've had the entire place shut down and watchmen placed in all the towers."

"What of the women and children?" Roxas asked. Lexaeus hesitated for only a moment before shaking his head.

"I hadn't even considered it, Your Majesty."

Roxas nodded slowly, his eyes drifting over the pale faces of the two brothers as he tried desperately to think around his pounding headache.

"Have any person older then fifteen who can and wants to fight suit up. Everyone else is to be rounded up and led to the dungeons. It's not the most ideal conditions, but it's most certainly the safest place for them right now.

"Will we face them head on?" Lexaeus asked uncertainly. Roxas shook his head slowly.

"We'll start on the defensive. If they break the front line and make it into the castle, then we'll go all out. We have a better chance of being on the defensive. War is in our blood, but they're likely to outnumber us three to one. In quality, we've got them beat, but when quantity is place against quality to this degree, I fear we might be evenly matched."

"What should I tell the people?" Lexaeus asked quietly, seeming to realize that Roxas didn't have much hope for their survival. The blonde king was fairly positive that any battle, no matter how they went about it, would end in a high fatality rate.

"Tell them that we have been threatened," Roxas answered quietly. "Let them know the truth about how the battle might turn out. I'd rather not scare them, but they deserve to know. Go ahead and begin preparing."

Lexaeus nodded slowly, looking as uncertain as Roxas felt, before slowly taking three steps backwards, turning, and striding from the room.

"Riku, Zexion…I need some time to myself. If you would excuse me?" They exchanged a glance, looking rather hesitant. "That wasn't really a request," Roxas informed them.

They nodded in synchronized curtness before turning and striding out of the room together. Roxas let all his breath escape his body, relaxing completely in his throne, eyes falling closed.

It could be anywhere from minutes to hours until an attack. They weren't in any condition to be fighting. They had no time to prepare. The way Roxas saw it, they were thoroughly and irrevocably fucked. He hated to be so pessimistic about it, but he really couldn't see things turning out well. They had made foolish decisions that were coming back to haunt them. It had been stupid of them to believe there would be no war now that they had settled things between themselves. They hadn't taken the independent variable into account and now they would pay dearly for it.

Roxas stood up and crossed the room, grabbing a piece of stationary and a pen from a table on the side of the room. Taking a deep breath, he crossed back to the throne and rested the paper on the hard arm of the chair. Staring blankly at the paper for a few minutes, he finally rested the tip of the pen against the page and began to write.

It was almost two hours before anything noteworthy happened. Roxas was in his old bedroom, dressing in his old battle armor, things he'd worn so many times before. They felt strange and wrong on him now, and he'd already thrown up from nerves twice. Roxas had never been very good at keeping his cool before a battle. Once the fighting started, it was almost like he became an entirely different person, completely cut off from emotions. Before, though…before he was always a nervous wreck. A knock sounded on the door and Riku entered a moment later, eyes sweeping around the room before he spoke.

"Your Majesty, an army is coming from the west. The watch says they'll be here any minute." Roxas nodded numbly, his fists tightening at the thought. He wanted more then anything to speak to Axel. Just to hear his voice one more time.

"Riku," Roxas said slowly, turning to look at the silver-haired guard.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Roxas took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm down a bit. "Riku…we've known each other since we were children…and I trust you more then anyone else."

Riku nodded, eyes narrowing, looking like he wasn't quite sure where this conversation was heading and that he wouldn't like it when he found out.

Roxas held out a folded piece of paper, which he'd sealed with the crest of Hartz. Riku looked at it as if expecting it to do a trick.

"If…If anything happens to me, get that to Axel," Roxas said, his voice shaking more then he would have hoped. Riku shook his head quickly.

"Nothing will happen to you…"

"Riku," Roxas interrupted him. "Please. I can't trust anyone else with the task. This is more important to me then anything else. If I die, give that to Axel. Promise me you will."

"It's unnecessary," Riku said stubbornly.

"Riku!" Roxas cried, his voice anguished and actual tears glistening in his eyes, "For god's sake, if I get killed you have to give it to him. You have to. Please." Riku let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes.

"All right, Roxas. If it comes down to that, which it won't, I'll get it to him even if it kills me." Roxas sent him a grateful smile. He rolled the letter up neatly and slid his wedding band off his finger. He kissed the skin-warmed metal before sliding it over the paper and handing the whole package off to Riku.

"Why the ring?" Riku asked curiously, tucking the paper away carefully into his breast pocket.

"I don't want them taking it for a trophy," Roxas said quietly. "If I can't have it, he should."

Riku's eyes widened and he stared at the blonde incredulously. "You really aren't planning on coming out of this alive, are you?" he demanded.

"The likeliness isn't very high, Riku, and you know it," Roxas answered quietly. "If you want to write Sora a letter…I'll deliver it for you, if I can."

Riku shook his head stubbornly. "I will see Sora again," he said firmly. "And you will too."

Roxas was about to respond when there was the shattering noise of a cannon from outside. Several screams and yells followed the deafening noise and the pair exchanged a look.

"Looks like things are starting," Roxas said quietly.

Riku nodded slowly. "We should go."

"Riku?" Roxas said quickly.

"Yes?"

"Don't…don't let Axel do anything stupid. Watch over him for me, even if he doesn't want you to."

Riku gave a curt nod and without another word, the two rushed from the room and down toward what would soon become a battlefield.

-----------------------------

A/N: Double update again today, because I feel like chapters 8 and 9 really have to be read together for all the emotion to swirl together, ya know?


	9. What Roxas Wrote

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 9

Axel was in Ne'erwas for three long days, having heard no news from Hollow Bastion, Nadie, or Hartz. Quite frankly, he was suspicious and a little bit nervous. The castle was on high alert and they were ready for anything, but nothing seemed to be coming for them. Axel wondered if Hartz had been attacked first and had managed to drive Hollow Bastion back. He wouldn't allow himself to think of any other outcome to that scenario.

For the most part, everyone was extremely tense. They had every reason to be. Axel almost wished Hollow Bastion would attack, so at least then they would know what was going on. At least then they wouldn't feel so goddamned helpless.

On top of his tension, nerves, and suppressed fear, Axel was lonely. He missed Roxas a lot more then he would have thought possible. The moody little blonde had become such a huge centering anchor in his life, he almost didn't know what to do with himself when the blonde wasn't around. He realized this made him just a bit pathetic. He also realized that he didn't care in the least. He was certain everything would be better when he could hug his temperamental blonde again. He couldn't possibly relax until he inhaled that yummy Roxas scent again.

It was on the fifth day that Axel found out. He had been finalizing plans with Xigbar and Xaldin in the throne room when a messenger burst into the room, his chest heaving as if he'd run several miles. In all honesty, it wasn't impossible that he had.

"King Axel!" His cry rang out through the hall. "There's a group about one hundred strong coming from the south!" Axel's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Only one hundred strong?" he questioned, standing up.

"Approximately, sir. Can't be too much more then that."

"I'm going to the tower," Axel said quickly. "I have to see this for myself."

It didn't make sense for Hollow Bastion to come with only an army of one hundred. That was a death wish, pure and simple. Was it some sort of diversion or ruse? What could they possibly do with only a hundred people?

He clambered nimbly up the ladder to the crow's nest, snatching the binoculars from the watchman and peering over the desert. He spotted the group quickly, studying them for a moment before he realized exactly what it was he was seeing. The flash of silver hair said it all.

"That's Riku!" he cried. "It's not the enemy, it's Roxas!" He basically floated back down the ladder in his excited state, wriggling like a puppy in anticipation of seeing the blonde again.

What had happened in Hartz to cause all those people to come to Ne'erwas? The trip wasn't exactly a pleasant one. He thought he might explode with his impatience, and when the gates were being opened almost an hour later, he couldn't help but wait just on the other side. He realized for the first time how very worried he'd been about Roxas. He didn't like them being apart one bit and he planned on that never happening again. It had been a bad idea, if only because he couldn't function as well when he was worried.

Riku was at the head of the party, slumped on his horse with his arm in a sling. Axel's eyes scanned the crowd and he didn't immediately find Roxas. Perhaps he was farther back, to be protected on the inside?

"Riku," Axel greeted, eyes scanning the crowd still.

"Axel," Riku responded, his voice grave and serious. Axel instantly knew something was wrong. Riku only ever called them by their first names when he was highly upset.

"What happened?" Axel demanded. "Why are all these people here?"

Riku shook his head, eyes downcast. "Hartz was attacked only hours after we arrived. The castle is completely destroyed. We were unprepared and undermanned. It was a slaughter, and these are the only survivors."

Axel's fists tightened and suddenly only one thing was important.

"Riku, where's Roxas?"

Riku's head dropped his eyes downcast. When he looked up again, Axel was astounded to see tears clouding his aquamarine eyes, though they did not fall.

"I'll tell you…but perhaps not here," he said quietly. Axel nodded, a numb feeling taking over his fingers and toes.

"You," he pointed to several guards standing nearby. "Take care of these people. Get them food, water, anything they need. Riku, come with me."

Axel led them back to the throne room and locked the doors tightly behind them.

"What the hell happened, Riku? Where is Roxas?"

"We never stood a chance, Axel."

* * *

Cries, cannon blasts, magic, and fighting raged all around them on every side. They were outnumbered even more then they had anticipated. For every one person fighting for Hartz, there were six from Hollow Bastion. All the training in the world didn't matter with six on one. Riku let out a guttural yell, swinging his sword and cutting down yet another man. Blood spattered his face, momentarily blinding him. Swiping a hand over his eyes, Riku ducked just in time to narrowly avoid his face being cleaved in two. Everything around them was perfect chaos. He suddenly understood Roxas' insistence earlier. If they won this battle, it would be a certifiable miracle.

He swung around, slicing a man from belly to chin, ducking low to avoid a blade swinging for his head, and coming back up to parry one more blade behind him. He was exhausted and covered in a sheen of sweat, but he could not afford to stop. He dispatched the rest of the men surrounding him and ran off in the direction he'd seen Roxas go nearly ten minutes before. The blonde king was holding his own quite well, striking people down with pillars of light crashing down from the ceiling in fatal succession. Riku was just about ready to rush over and help him when a man flew out of nowhere. His blade hit Riku's left arm, making the silver-haired guard let out an involuntary scream. Roxas' head snapped in his direction, momentarily distracted. That was all they needed. Before Riku could blink or Roxas could react, one of the men swiped his sword out and slit Roxas' throat with one clean stroke.

Roxas blinked slowly in what looked like supreme shock before crumpling to the ground. Riku stood frozen and stunned for a moment before the reality hit him. He let out a cry of outrage and charged the men, taking them out easily in his maddened state. After the last one had fallen dead, Riku dropped to his knees beside his fallen king. It was quite obvious that Roxas was dead, but he had to check anyway. He pressed his fingers to the blonde's wrist, praying for a miracle. His wish was denied.

* * *

"He was dead before he hit the ground," Riku reported dully, his voice hoarse and his eyes staring blankly at the floor. Axel recognized that look. Riku was far away from him now, back with Roxas in the small corridor. Axel should have been there, dammit.

The redhead was slowly being enveloped in shock. Roxas was dead. After everything they had been through together. After all that had happened between them, after so many times when the pair of them had brushed death and escaped, Roxas' luck had finally run out.

A strange gasping noise filled the room and it took Axel a long time to realize that the noise was coming from him. His whole body was just completely numb. Roxas was dead. He'd never argue playfully with him or tease him about his height. He'd never smell that wonderful Roxas scent again.

"Did you…did you get his body?" Axel asked quietly after he'd gained some control over himself.

Riku shook his head slowly. "No. I…I had to finish fighting. I'll never know how, but we managed to beat them back and out for the time being and we had to leave quickly. I went back for him…but he was gone. I don't know what happened to him, but…I know he didn't get up and walk away."

"So…you're telling me that the people who killed my husband now have his body, too?" Axel asked numbly. Riku nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry."

Axel wanted to scream. He knew what people did with the trophies they gained from war. The thought of Roxas' body somewhere being mutilated made him want to vomit. For god sakes, they'd taken his Roxas away from him. Did they have to do it in every possible way? He could feel the breakdown coming on, and he'd rather do it in private.

"Riku…get out. Just…go away. I need to be alone." Riku nodded and turned to leave. About halfway to the door, he slowed to a stop and turned back. Axel watched him approach wearily. The guard reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a roll of paper bound together with a familiar platinum ring.

"Before the battle started, Roxas asked me to give this to you…should anything happen," Riku said quietly. "He was quite insistent…"

Axel took the scroll and couldn't stop the breakdown. Tears flooded down his face and he gripped his hair in his hands.

"Dammit!" he cried out. "God fucking dammit!" He hunched over in his seat, gasping for breath and wishing that he too would die at the same time. Why the hell did this have to happen? He wasn't supposed to lose any more people he loved to war. They had been lobbying for neutrality to avoid this sort of thing. And now he was alone again. Every person he loved died on him eventually. Maybe it was time to stop letting people into his heart. It only ended in heartache. He let out another scream of frustration, a fresh flood of tears running down his face.

This continued on for quite some time, until he'd cried himself out of tears. Then he settled for hitting things until his fists cracked and bled, and then hitting some more. Finally, when all his energy was spent, he grabbed the scroll and slid Roxas' ring off of it. He kissed the metal before slipping it onto the tip of his finger, his swollen knuckles not allowing it to go any farther. Letting out a shaky breath, he unrolled the paper, broke the seal, and stared down at Roxas' cramped writing.

_Axel, I love you._

_There. I just had to let you know at least once more. I guess, since you're reading this, that I'm dead. I've got to be honest, Ax, I don't really know what to write right now. I just…I wanted you to know that I was thinking of you right down to the very last moment. There's nothing I want more right now then to just be with you, just hear your voice one more time…but that's impossible now._

_I'm a nervous wreck at this point. I'm in the throne room in Hartz trying to psych myself up to fight a battle I know we can't possibly win. There is no chance; we just don't have enough time. I realized as soon as Lexaeus told us the deadline was tonight that we would die._

_I'm scared, Aku. I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life. But I can't think straight. I can't think about what I might be able to do. I can only think about you. I'm worried, wondering if you're okay. How you're going to be when you read this. Dammit, Axel, I could really use one of your hugs right now. Heh. I sound like a sentimental girl, but I guess that's okay. Just as long as you know that I love you more then life itself, that's okay._

_I wish we had had more time. I wish we had been able to do so many things. I wish things were different. Wishing won't get me anywhere, though. I want to write forever, like maybe that will make it so I never have to leave you. But I can't, Ax. I'm running out of time and page here._

_Take care of yourself. Take care of our people. Don't let this tear you apart. Don't do anything rash, all right?_

_Always, always remember that I love you._

_Roxas_

_--------------------_

A/N: I'm sorry.


	10. Three Months Later

A/N: God, I am so sorry its taken me so long to post this. I started my senior year of high school and I've just been really busy these last two weeks. I haven't had the chance to sit down at the computer so I could post. So, again, I'm really, really, sorry.

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 10

Hollow Bastion never ended up coming to Ne'erwas. They had quickly relocated back to Twilight Town, which was now more crowded then ever. All of Ne'erwas and what was left of Hartz came to stay where it was safer. Despite this, things were falling apart around them.

Axel had become detached and melancholy since Roxas' death. In the three months since it had happened, no one but his family, personal guard, and Riku had seen him. After Roxas' funeral, he'd slipped away into his room and, as far as anyone knew, hadn't come out since. There were rumors that he too was dead.

If the loss of one of their kings wasn't enough, half of the kingdom was seriously considering seceding. Not only had Axel given up on everything around him, including his own kingdom, but he wasn't truly their king to begin with. They had respected him and perhaps even liked him as their rey, when he was paired up with their true blood king. Leaving Axel to his own devices, though, left Ne'erwas with most of the power. Citizens of the kingdom formerly known as Hartz didn't like the thought. They wanted their own king, and since they couldn't have the one who ruled by birthright, they wanted the next best thing. Unfortunately for them, Sora had no desire to become king and even less to fight Axel for the crown. Not that Axel would have put up much of a fight.

Despite Axel's feeble protests, Riku had the redhead placed under twenty-four hour surveillance. He'd made a promise to his fallen king and he planned to keep it. He was not going to let Axel take his own life and, though it would take time, he was even working on returning the redhead to some semblance of his normal self.

In the beginning, Axel refused to eat or sleep. He'd just been wasting away bit by bit and uncaring of the fact. Aeris and Cloud, who had been visiting in Midgar at the time of the attack on Hartz, had come for the funeral and tried to see the redhead, but he refused to admit even them. Death was cutting much to close to the redhead's heart. Aeris reminded him of his mother and Roxas had been a carbon copy of his father. At first, he'd even denied Sora admission, but eventually the family had managed to worm their way inside. When they did, Axel refused to look at them. Despite this, they continued to visit and try to get any sort of reaction from him.

Reno came as well, though he wasn't much good at comforting, considering that his own loss was so recent. They'd ended up mourning the loss of their loved ones together, probably not much of a help to either of them. So, the kingdom was in the position to collapse, all possible leaders completely shut down or in denial.

Sora hadn't been coping well with Roxas' death either. He wasn't nearly as bad as Axel, but Riku hadn't seen him smile once in three months. For Sora, that was unheard of. The brunet had always worn a smile as a default expression, and the lack thereof was rather disconcerting.

Overall, Nadie was going to fall. Whether it was sooner or later, eventually it would all crumble beneath them. The citizens liked Axel too much to throw a revolt and Axel was too depressed to pull himself and everything else together.

Until one day that all changed. The doors leading to the king's private chambers swung open and one redhead emerged. He was skinnier now then he had ever been, to the point where he actually looked sick. His once vibrant crimson hair was a shade darker and his skin paler from lack of sunlight. His green eyes sported heavy bags underneath them, making his face look gaunt. Where he had once stood proud and tall, now he slumped, his shoulders stooped and his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. Despite this, he was showered and dressed completely for the first time in months, which had to be a good sign. He strode past the shocked guards at his door and down the staircase. Not knowing what else to do, Demyx followed, his jaw hanging open.

People turned to stare as Axel passed them by, but he took no notice of them. He continued on his quest, followed by his guard who was shrugging at the people. Axel turned into the dining room and dropped into the nearest chair, which just so happened to be the one that Roxas enjoyed frequenting. He reached his hand out and slapped the bell signaling his arrival. There was a loud crash from the kitchen and a moment later the doors swung open wide. The head chef popped his head out and caught sight of Axel sitting at the table. He let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like, 'Meep!' before disappearing again, the doors swinging wildly. A few minutes later, a waiter appeared with a plate, setting it down before the redhead.

"Please excuse the delay, Your Majesty. We hadn't expected to see you…" Axel said nothing, waved a dismissive hand, and started to eat. The man faltered only a moment before bowing quickly and disappearing.

Axel finished his meal in complete silence and then went to take audience. It didn't take long to figure out that he was going through the same daily schedule that he always had with Roxas. People all around had heard the Axel had made his appearance and were now coming to the throne room for an audience. They were lined up around the corner, which brought Riku to inspect. He was shocked to see that Axel had picked up his duties again. He only seemed to be half-hearted about it, though, answering questions with a nod or shake of the head. He only spoke when it was absolutely necessary and his voice was hoarse and quiet with disuse. Still, it was an improvement over the way things had been going.

Riku watched with concern as Axel held the proceedings, wondering what had happened to make him leave his room. Just the day before he'd sworn that he'd never leave and now, there he was, acting as if that had never happened.

"Riku!" a voice called, making the silver-haired guard snap around in curiosity. Kairi gestured wildly to him, so he followed her into the hallway.

"Hello, Your Highness," he greeted, wondering what she could possibly want with him.

"Riku…I want you to keep an eye on Axel," she said earnestly.

"No offense, princess, but what exactly do you think I've been doing for the past three months?" he asked, frustration leaking into his voice. "I don't know him very well and for some reason he's decided it's a good idea to pick himself up again…"

Kairi's cheeks flushed and she looked away, biting her lower lip.

"Well, to be completely honest, I think that was me. I tried talking to him last night and I got annoyed with his tone and disposition, so I yelled at him. I told him that Roxas would be pissed if he knew what Axel was doing and that he was basically shaming his memory by acting the way he was. I said it was probably a good thing he was dead so that he didn't have to see the way Axel reacted under pressure."

Riku's eyes widened. Why hadn't he thought of that?

"He was really upset and he kept twisting his ring around his finger. I tried to apologize and tell him I hadn't meant it like that, but he just kicked me out. And today, he's like this."

"Well…perhaps you were a bit harsh, but it seems to have worked," Riku said.

"Yeah, but for how long? Axel's ready to just give up on life, so just be careful. Even if he gets back to his normal self, watch over him. We've already lost Roxas. We don't need to lose both of them."

Riku opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by something catching his eye. He turned his head and saw the inky black stain stretching across the floor, heading quickly towards Axel. The redhead saw it as well, and he sat up straighter, eyes focusing on it. He made no move to do anything but watch as the spot grew closer.

Riku realized at that moment exactly what Axel was about. If he were ever attacked, he wouldn't bother to fight. He'd just stand there and take it. The silver-haired guard rushed across the room towards the spot, but it was faster and had a head start. A man appeared from the spot, grabbed Axel, and sunk through the floor again. Kairi screamed and Riku cussed, but Axel was already gone. There was nothing they could do now.

Riku obviously wasn't a very good guard. He'd failed twice. The loss of both kings was entirely his fault, in so many more ways then one. Damn it.

As soon as they reappeared in another area, Axel tried to fry the man holding him. Much to his dismay, however, he found that he could not.

"This is my domain, little king. If I don't want you to use magic here, you won't," a woman's voice said warningly. Well, damn, there went that plan. When he'd first noticed the inky spot, his plan had been to somehow find the evil queen and kill her or die in the process. Now, it seemed that the latter was going to play out.

The place they were in was almost completely dark, the only light coming from a torch on the far side of the room. Axel was pushed forward, forced to walk. He wasn't sure exactly what was in his way, so his steps were awkward and hesitant, forced on by someone else. It seemed like an eternity before they came to a stop. The man holding him kicked out his knees, forcing him to the ground with a pained yelp.

Soft footsteps approached him, but he couldn't see a foot in front of his face, so he had no hope of seeing the evil bitch. A hand stroked over his face and he growled angrily, fighting the urge to bite her. The fingers lightly slapped his cheek.

"Axel, Axel, Axel," she sighed quietly. "This all could have been avoided, you know. I don't like slaughter and kidnapping. Far too much dirty work, in my opinion. Why couldn't you have just handed over my nephew?"

"Even if I knew who the prince was, I would never leave anyone to your sadistic mercy," Axel growled. "You're a false queen, put only on the throne because you murdered your brother and tried to do the same to your nephew!"

"Silence, miscreant!"

"I hope he does rise up a rebellion and cuts you down…"

"I said silence!" she shrieked.

"I'm a true king," Axel snarled back. "I outrank you."

"If you do not be quiet, I will destroy everything you love!"

"Too late!" Axel snarled back. "There's nothing else you could possibly take from me."

"I could always slit your pretty throat," she growled.

"Go ahead," Axel growled. "Do it. I've got nothing to live for anymore. Cut my throat, bitch, you'd be doing me a favor."

"Fine! Then you'll be imprisoned for the rest of your pathetic life. Death is a luxury too high for you."

Axel was forced to his feet and dragged out of the room, screaming and snarling the whole way. By the time they reached the dungeon, he'd calmed down a bit and practically screamed his throat raw. He was dumped unceremoniously on the floor of a cell, the door slammed and locked behind him.

"You tell that bitch to sleep with one eye open!" Axel called after him. "Because I'm going to break out of here and slit her goddamned throat!" The only response he received was the heavy door being slammed shut, locking him in semi-darkness, the only light coming from a bare bulb in the center of the room. He kicked his cell door and cussed quietly, sliding over to rest his back against the cell wall.

"Dammit," he said to the air.

Someone moved in the cell next to his, and there was a slight clanking noise as their hands grabbed the bars.

"Axel?" the voice whispered disbelievingly. "Axel, is that you?"

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A/N: Yeah, that's right. Cliffhanger, bitches. Lets see if I get a bunch of angry reviews…


	11. Cell Mate

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 11

Roxas let out a panting breath, ducking under a blade that swung so close it almost cut his hair. The gates leading up to Hartz castle had quickly been obliterated by the cannons and the front line cut down by a wave of people. Roxas had led his attackers to a smaller corridor that was empty of all except for them. While he had less backup on his own, he had more room to maneuver.

He was worried for the civilians hiding under the castle, wondering if anyone had found them there. He wouldn't think so, but he didn't like not being sure. He cut down another man, spinning to face off with another instantly. They were so outnumbered, he couldn't stop for even a moment. He stabbed his newest opponent and parried a blow from another. He was holding his own quite well, he thought, and hoped that he might be able to continue doing so.

Of course, with this thought, a heavy strike knocked his footing off course. He stumbled back and let out a low moan as he was struck across the back of the head with the blunt end of a sword. He hit his knees, head reeling and let out a small gasp. A sharp pain came from his head and he realized that, for some strange reason, they'd pulled out a piece of his hair. A moment later, he understood why. A doppelganger appeared and started fighting the men just as viciously as he had been a moment before. Roxas was grabbed and suddenly they were sinking through the floor, disappearing into inky blackness. He just barely saw Riku round the corner before he was completely gone.

They appeared in a dark room, in a place that could only be Hollow Bastion.

"Roxas, hello," a woman's voice greeted. "How very nice it is to see you. I trust my prince is well?"

"I wouldn't know," Roxas grumbled. "I don't know who he is."

"Funny, I don't believe you. Perhaps soon you'll be singing a different tune."

"I don't understand you," Roxas snapped, trying to summon up some magic, only to discover the room was most likely warded. "Why the doppelganger?"

"As we speak," the queen said, sounding rather proud of herself, "that copy is being killed in front of your people. They'll blame the prince and, perhaps, they'll kill him for me."

"Yeah, great plan," Roxas said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Except that we don't know who the prince is. Either way, they'd never turn him over."

"In revenge for your murder, I think they might," she said simply. "You really don't understand human nature, do you? Your lover will be heartbroken and furious. Rage makes people do odd things."

"Why not just kill me, then?" Roxas demanded. "Why keep me alive?"

"If they don't give up the prince for your murder, I'll let them know that you're still alive. I'll exchange you for the prince."

Roxas didn't want to believe that it would work, but he knew that Axel probably would go through with it. He didn't want to be responsible for that.

After that lovely conversation, he'd been locked in the dungeons and there he stayed. Days passed and then weeks and then he just lost count. He had no idea how long he'd been locked up down there, just wasting away, but he felt a deep sense of pride that Axel hadn't done anything stupid. He wondered how the kingdom was coping with the news of his "death".

He spent his time like that, thinking of home and Axel, sleeping, and counting ceiling tiles. There was only so much one could do when continually locked in a jail cell. He was fed twice a day, some slop that someone had the gall to call food. At first he'd been disgusted by it, but after a while the taste melted into nothing and he was just used to it.

This is why, when the heavy door to the dungeons opened up one day, Roxas moved into the farthest back corner of his cell, as was his usual custom to avoid being harassed by the man who delivered the food. Something was different though, because there was more then one set of footsteps. Roxas watched in interest as the guard quickly shoved someone he couldn't see into the cell next to his and locked the door shut. As the guard walked away, there was a shout of anger from the person who'd just been locked up.

"You tell that bitch to sleep with one eye open!" the person called after him. "Because I'm going to break out of here and slit her goddamned throat!" Roxas froze at the sound of the voice, his heart aching slightly with how familiar it sounded. There was a clanging of metal as the person struck the bars of his cell. A moment later, he cussed quietly and Roxas had to take the chance and ask. He moved to the wall that he shared with the other prisoner and spoke quietly, hoping his voice didn't betray very much.

"Axel?" he asked. "Axel, is that you?"

There was a long pause from the other side of the wall and Roxas couldn't be patient.

"Axel Sinclair, king of Nadie? Wielder of fire?" he asked desperately.

Finally, the person answered. "…Yeah. Yeah, that's me." Roxas thought he might cry with a mix of relief and exasperation. How had Axel gotten himself kidnapped?

"Are you all right?" he asked desperately. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"No," he mumbled quietly. "Not much she could do to me, other then this hellhole. Between you and me, guy, I'd rather be dead."

Roxas' heart clenched at the thought. "Don't say that, you asshole!" he snapped.

"Why the hell not?" Axel growled. "You don't know me, guy. I've got my reasons."

"I know you a hell of a lot better then you think I do," Roxas snapped back.

"Who the hell are you?" Axel snapped back.

"It's Roxas, you idiot!" he cried in exasperation. The entire dungeon went completely silent for a long time. Finally, Axel said, "That's not funny. That's not fucking funny."

"Do you hear me laughing? Really, Aku, its me," he said, his voice gentler. Axel sounded so torn up it almost broke Roxas' heart just to hear it.

"Roxas is dead," Axel said firmly. "Riku…Riku saw it happen."

"Did you ever find my body?" Roxas demanded, wishing that he could show Axel that it really was him.

"No, but people take trophies in war all the time…"

"What will it take me to convince you?" Roxas demanded.

"I don't…I don't know," Axel whispered.

"Your real name is Akuseru, but everyone's been calling you Axel so long most people don't know it. Your favorite desert is plain cheesecake. Before we built Nadie castle, you always wanted to visit Twilight Town to watch the sunset. You have nightmares about three nights a month and they make you scream so loud you wake everyone else up but yourself."

"What are the nightmares about?" Axel asked quietly.

"You never tell me," Roxas answered. "Are you convinced yet?"

"No. Anyone could know that."

Roxas frowned and groaned in frustration. "Why can't you just believe me?"

"I've already had my heart ripped from my chest, guy. I don't need some bored jerk getting my hopes up and then doing it again."

"A curse was placed on your family line by mine," Roxas said quietly. "This curse makes your fire attack you from the inside. The cigarettes you smoke on a daily basis are actually filled with sweet mint and magic that protects you. You told me about this the morning after my coronation after you'd woken me up with your screaming the night before. You were standing on the balcony and I sat next to you on the railing…"

"Holy shit," Axel breathed quietly. "Roxy, is that really you?"

"Yeah, Ax," Roxas responded. "It's me." The gate clanged again and then Axel's fingertips poked around the edge of the wall and waggled at Roxas. The blonde sat cross-legged next to the wall and reached his arm out, forcing himself into a semi-painful leaning position. As soon as his hand touched Axel's, though, it was worth it. Axel's fingers latched around his and held tightly.

"Shit, Roxas. Shit. I didn't think I'd ever…" Axel's voice was choked up and Roxas found that he too was on the verge of tears. He hadn't thought he'd ever see Axel again and now he was right there. While it wasn't the most ideal of conditions, it was all right.

"I wish I could kiss you so much right now," Axel said honestly.

"You and me both," Roxas replied. "I thought for sure I was gonna die a virgin," he added jokingly.

Axel let out a hoarse laugh and squeezed his hand.

"We'll have to fix that when we get home, won't we?"

"Yeah," Roxas sighed wistfully. Getting serious, he continued, "Axel, we have to get out of here."

"I know," Axel replied. "We'll have to come up with some sort of plan…eventually. Right now I'm just happy you're alive. I don't function so well without you, Roxy."

Roxas let out a hollow laugh, wondering what Axel had been like for all that time.

"How long has it been, Ax?" Roxas asked. "All my days have kind of melted together at this point."

"Have you been locked up here this whole time?" Axel asked, his voice sounding strained with anger. "I'll kill those bastards."

"It's better then being dead," Roxas shrugged, making his back twinge with pain, brought on by his current position.

"Yeah, that's true, I guess. Three months, by the way."

"Three months?" Roxas squeaked. "What the hell has happened in all that time?"

"Uh…well…I don't really know. I've been locked in our room wallowing in misery the whole time…" Roxas let out an exasperated sigh.

"Ax, did you even read that letter I had Riku give you? He did give it you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did…speaking of…" Axel's hand slipped out of Roxas' grasp, making the blonde immediately miss the contact. He took the moment to shift his position to something more comfortable and when he reached his hand back out, Axel placed something in his hand. Pulling his hand back, Roxas found his ring and smiled at it. He slipped it on his finger where it belonged, vowing that he'd never remove it again.

"Thanks. Now, about that letter." He took Axel's hand again

"Didn't I tell you not to do anything stupid? Who was running things while you were playing emo in the corner?"

"Hey, I was in mourning," Axel snapped. "Dammit, Roxas, I thought you were dead. The only reason I didn't slit my fucking wrists was because Riku had someone watching me at all times."

"We'll have to thank him for that," Roxas said pointedly. "If you'd have killed yourself, what would I have done? The guilt would've driven me crazy."

"You know, you think you'd be a bit more appreciative of how much I love you."

"I love you too, Aku. More then anything and you know it. But there are people depending on you and you let them flounder by themselves. I'm flattered that you care so much, but a week of mourning in more then enough. Three months is bordering on obsessive."

"Well, I am rather obsessive," Axel admitted. "I know I fucked up, Roxas. Can we save the lecture for later? You're killing my happiness."

"Yeah," Roxas sighed, squeezing Axel's hand once and resting his forehead against the wall. "It can wait, I guess."

--------------

A/N: Aw, come on. Did you really think that I could kill Roxas? Well, yes, I could. Wouldn't be the first time. But not for this one. Not yet. But we'll see. XD Review!


	12. Riku's Rescue

A/N: So....I'm watching this show on TLC....about these people who raise monkies as their children. How freaking weird is that? In other news, I have been playing 358/2 days like its going out of style. XD

On another note....I meant to post this last night....but apparently I uploaded the document, but forgot to actually post it. I've been checking my email all day, wondering why I hadn't gotten any reviews. I have to say, I felt really unloved. I'm glad it was my fault and not your lack of interest.

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 12

Riku was in the midst of a miniature breakdown. This happened quite often, though that was none too surprising with the huge chore of keeping people who attracted bad luck alive on your shoulders. This breakdown, though, was a bit worse then previous ones. This breakdown was the result of having one king killed and the other kidnapped right in front of his very eyes.

Sora had found Riku in his bedroom, kneeling in the middle of the floor. His hands were gripping his silver tresses so tightly Sora feared he might actually rip his hair out. He rocked back and forth in a repetitive motion, shaking his head slightly with each movement.

"Riku!" Sora murmured quietly, kneeling next to his long-time lover and taking his pale hands. "Riku, stop it."

"I fucked up bad, So," Riku muttered. "I fucked up so bad. Roxas is dead and Axel is gone. Fuck."

"Riku, calm down. It's okay. We can get Axel back. We can figure this out."

"No, Sora, we can't. This is all my goddamned fault. I single-handedly destroyed two kingdoms that have lasted for thousands of years."

"Riku, get a hold of yourself!" Sora cried, smacking Riku's face just hard enough to get his attention. "This isn't your fault! Roxas knew what he was doing when he went to Hartz and he knew what could happen. He took that chance because he was brave and stupid and a very good king who was willing to die for his people. I'm willing to bet, also, that Axel made no move to help himself when he was attacked. You couldn't have known he would just stand there and let it happen. You can't protect people who won't let you protect them."

Riku stared at him, aquamarine eyes wide with pain and helplessness. Sora shook his head and let out a soft sigh, wrapping his arms around the older male and hugging him tightly. "If its anyone's fault," Sora said quietly. "It's this mysterious prince's."

Riku stiffened, his arms coming to wrap around Sora, rubbing the brunet's back with long strokes of one hand.

"You think?" he asked quietly.

"Maybe. I don't know…yeah," Sora admitted.

"Would you trade the prince for Axel?" Riku asked, burying his face in Sora's neck.

Sora was quiet in his thoughts for a while before he answered.

"Yeah. I think I would. In all honesty, I'm more pissed at him then I ever have been at anyone in my life. He basically killed my brother, Riku, and he destroyed Axel. Sometimes I think I could kill him myself…but I couldn't do that. I'm too soft-hearted."

"You hate him that much?" Riku asked quietly.

Sora shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think I've ever met him. Really, I guess, I hate the thought of him. Not only is my brother dead but I could have lost you, Riku. I still could." Riku's grip on Sora tightened.

"Why do you say that?"

"The people from Hartz are getting nervous with Axel's leadership as of late. They want me to ascend to the throne…but if I do that, we can't be together anymore. My only sibling is dead and it's impossible to get an heir out of us. Paine is dead and Zexion has Demyx…and even then, they aren't of royal blood. If I become king, I have to give you up."

Riku pulled away from Sora and stared him straight in the eyes. "I don't understand you, So. You won't become king because of me?"

"Of course not," Sora shook his head. "Why would I want to do anything without you?"

"Maybe…we shouldn't be together, then. Maybe it's for the best…"

Sora lurched forward and grabbed Riku around the middle, resting his head against the older male's chest and hugging him tightly.

"Shut up, Riku," he said loudly. "You can't leave me, I won't let you!"

"Sora, you have a duty…"

"Screw duty!" Sora cried. "You're all I want, Riku. I love you more then I love my kingdom, all right? My father understands that and Roxas understood that. Everyone does except for you."

"Sora, I killed your brother," Riku growled, trying to dislodge the brunet's octopus-like grip.

"No you didn't, Riku. Circumstance killed Roxas and he wouldn't have wanted to go any other way. I know that much. Gods, Riku, if you leave me now…I don't know what I'd do. You've watched over me my entire life and I've loved you since I was old enough to understand what love was. If you leave, I'll die, Riku, I'll just die!" A single tear slipped down Sora's cheek, and Riku's heart broke just to look at it. He swiped the tear away and kissed the brunet's forehead before wrapping his arms tightly and securely around the brunet.

"I love you, Sora," he said. "From the moment I set eyes on you as a tiny little baby, I loved you. You've always been my very best friend and I fall more in love with you every day. Always remember that."

"Don't leave, Riku," Sora whispered.

"I have to," Riku answered. "I'm going to get Axel…and I don't know if I'll be able to come back. I promise I'll do everything I can to get back to you, all right?"

"No," Sora sniffled. "Riku…you don't know where Axel is…and how do you plan on getting him back here, huh?"

"I think I do know, actually," Riku answered. "And…I know who the prince is. I'm going to trade them." Sora's tears abruptly stopped and he stared at Riku, his eyes going wide.

"You knew?" he whispered. "This whole time you knew and you didn't tell anyone?" Riku nodded.

"I should have told. I wish I had. But I'm going to make up for it as much as I can now. I'm going to get Axel. If he's not back in a few hours…you can assume the worst."

Riku gently pried Sora's arms from around him, drew up a dark portal, and disappeared with a loud bang. Sora sat there in the middle of the room, completely stunned, staring at the place where Riku had disappeared.

The darkness was pressing against him on all sides, trapping him in a constant limbo. There were powerful wards placed all around, but he knew he could break them. The more he pressed, the more they seemed to release. They recognized him and became warm. They welcomed him with open arms. Where they had once been compressing and suffocating, they were now caressing and free. He broke through.

Axel threw down his plate with disgust, grimacing at the sad excuse for food.

"I don't know how you've eaten this stuff," he said to Roxas. "I'm not even sure you _should_ be eating it. It can't be healthy."

"You get used to it," Roxas replied between bites. "When you starve long enough, anything will taste good. You might as well eat, by the way. That's the only food they supply and you'll get really hungry eventually."

"Did they really starve you, Roxy?" Axel asked, his voice once again taking on a murderous edge.

"No," Roxas shook his head. "They always supplied me with this stuff. I sort of starved myself because I refused to eat it at first. It won't do you any good to refuse it, because I honestly don't think she cares if we starve to death down here or not. I haven't heard anything from her since I got here…actually I think she may have forgotten about me."

Axel snorted. "Man, this sucks."

"You think this is bad?" Roxas grumbled. "At least you have me to talk to. I've been down here for months with only myself for company. There are three hundred and forty two ceiling tiles in my line of sight from any given angle of this cell. There are four thousand, six hundred and twenty-four tally marks on the far wall. I've counted every single one of them several times."

"You could be dead," Axel pointed out helpfully.

"There were times where I thought I would literally die from boredom," Roxas replied.

Axel laughed out loud. "Yeah, well, I guess it…" There was a loud bang and an exclamation of surprise.

"Holy shit, Riku!" Axel cried. "How the hell did you get in here, there are magic wards…"

"I broke the wards," Riku explained quickly. "Let's go before someone notices."

"No, wait!" Axel cried.

"We haven't got time!" Riku responded. "Get up, come on!"

"Roxas!" Axel said quickly. "Roxas is in the next cell over."

Roxas listened, wishing that he could see what was going on.

"Axel, Roxas is dead," Riku sighed quietly. "Come on…"

"I'm not crazy," Axel insisted. "Help me out here, Roxy."

"Riku," Roxas spoke up. "It really is me."

"…Roxas?"

"Yeah."

"Oh…oh gods. You're alive? But I saw…"

"What you saw was an illusion," a cold female voice said. "For someone strong enough to break my wards, you are quite stupid. It was a simple copy." The queen had apparently been alerted of Riku's presence.

"It's too late for you now," she said. "I don't see the point in keeping a lowly guard around when I already have two kings for ransom."

"I know who the prince is," Riku spoke up quickly, his voice hard as steel. Roxas blinked quickly, wondering if that was true. "You let them go home and promise to leave them alone and I'll give him to you."

"Riku, you don't have that authority!" Roxas cried.

"Shut up, Roxas," Riku snapped, shocking the blonde into silence. "Send them home right now and I'll give you the prince."

The woman laughed out loud. "You drive a hard bargain. I accept."

The doors to the cells swung open and the three men stepped out. The queen, her face hidden still by shadow, summoned up a portal.

"That will lead you home," she nodded at it. "Now, you, guard, give me the prince as you promised."

Riku sighed and held his wrists out like he was waiting to be handcuffed.

"I'm the prince," he said defiantly.

"Riku!" Roxas cried out. "You…you can't be serious. You've always been around Hartz…"

"I came to Hartz the year you were born," Riku said quietly. "For you, that is always. But before that I was the prince of Hollow Bastion."

"Why…why didn't you tell me?" Roxas demanded.

"I was in hiding," Riku answered with a shrug. "You can never be too careful."

The woman took a step closer to Riku, placing her hand under his chin and lifting his face to study like he was a prize animal. A small gasp escaped her lips.

"Oh, little Ansem," she murmured. "Yes, you do have your father's eyes. You've grown, haven't you?"

Riku, or, apparently, Ansem, glared at her, his eyes burning. "Don't talk of my father when you murdered him in cold blood."

"Oh, Ansem…"

"It's Riku."

"Hmph. Riku, then. How about a proper greeting for your aunt?"

"Hello, Aunt Maleficent," he said through gritted teeth. She grinned, her teeth flashing in the sparse light.

"Good boy. Now, you two. I have no need for you anymore. Be gone." She waved her hand and tendrils of darkness shot out, wrapping themselves around the kings' limbs and pushing them forcefully into the portal. The darkness closed around them, leaving Riku in the clutches of a woman bent on his destruction.

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A/N: Yeah, that's right. Riku's a prince. Riku's name isn't even Riku! Crazy shit, I know. By the way, when I mention Riku disappearing with a bang, I'm totally serious. Play the first two hours of KH2 where you play as Roxas. The part where Naminé is trying to tell Roxas he won't disappear and DiZ is pulling her into the darkness is pretty funny if you pay attention. Everyone else smoothly slips into the darkness and whisks away. Riku, like, explodes. It made me laugh…anywho…Review!


	13. Coming Home

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 13

The darkness opened up almost instantly, not giving them any time to stop their momentum from the push. Roxas fell into Axel, who subsequently fell on the floor.

There was a strange gasping noise, and then Roxas was being choked to death from behind. He let out a snarl and flipped his assailant over, quickly scrambling to pin him to the ground.

He realized almost instantly, however, that it was his own brother that he had pinned to the floor. The blonde was actually surprised that Maleficent had kept her word.

"Sora, what the hell?" he spat, letting his brother up.

"Roxas! It is you! You…you're alive!" Sora sputtered, seemingly unable to understand what was happening right in front of his face.

"Yeah, so why were you just trying to kill me?"

Sora shook his head quickly. "No, I was trying to get you up so I could see your face. Maybe I wasn't so…graceful about it, though."

"You think?" Roxas grumbled, taking a hand up from Axel.

"I don't get it. Riku saw you die! Wait…where's Riku?"

Roxas bit his lip and looked at glanced at Axel before sweeping his eyes back to his brother.

"He…uh…he didn't tell you?" Roxas asked, wanting to throttle the guard for letting this task fall on his shoulders.

"He said he was going to exchange the prince for Axel," Sora said blinking innocently.

Roxas had to look away. "Sora…Riku _is_ the prince," he said.

Sora froze, the only thing changing about him was his eyes, which were steadily growing larger.

"Wait…no…he…he traded himself?" Sora shrieked. "He was the prince…and he never told me…and now she's gonna kill him! Roxas we have to go, we have to help him!"

"I…" Roxas faltered. "I don't know if we can, Sora."

"What do you mean?" Sora demanded. "Of course we can. He went to help Axel even though he was really pissed off and having some sort of breakdown. You can go back to get him!"

"I don't know if we _can_, Sora," Roxas snapped again. "Hollow Bastion is a three-day horse ride away, at least. Even if we were to go, Riku would most likely already be dead by the time we got there. We can't transport ourselves there with magic because the whole place is warded."

"Riku got through!" Sora cried in protest.

"Riku's the rightful king, the wards don't apply to him! I'm sorry, Sora, but there really is nothing we can do. Riku…he knew what he was doing. He exchanged his life for ours, and we'll be eternally grateful for that. Going there now…it would just get us all killed and Riku's sacrifice would be in vain."

"Roxas, you don't understand!" Sora said quietly. "Before he left, I told him that I blamed the prince. I told him that I would trade the prince for Axel…but I didn't know! I would have never said it if I'd have known…no offense Axel…"

Axel shrugged to show that he wasn't offended.

"But, Roxas…Riku thinks that I hate him. I have to try…and I'm going to. If I have to, I'll do it myself!"

"Yeah?" Roxas demanded, admittedly slight petulant. "And how do you plan on getting there?"

"I'll wake the messenger up and have him send me. He came all this way to save Riku. I know he'll help me."

Before Roxas could say another word, Sora was running out of the room, bent and determined on a quest destined to fail.

"Well, shit," Roxas sighed, starting after his brunet counterpart. A hand on his wrist stopped him, and he looked questioningly back at Axel.

"He won't be able to wake Zack up," Axel said. "Following him now and trying to stop him will just upset him more."

"I…I feel like such a terrible person," Roxas admitted. "Riku's done so much for us…"

"Roxy, there's nothing we can do. In all honesty, he's probably already dead," Axel said with a sigh. "Now come on. I guess we better inform everyone that your death was a misconception."

Roxas wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I want a shower first. I've been locked in a dungeon for three months. Something tells me I don't smell like roses."

Axel laughed. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but…"

"Exactly," Roxas said. "Also, I could use some real food. Ooh, and a toothbrush! I'm so excited just thinking about it!" he exclaimed.

Roxas rushed up to their chambers, stripped off his old, grimy clothes, and proceeded to take the world's longest shower. He stayed in and scrubbed himself clean until his skin was pink and the water running off his body wasn't tinted with filth any more. After his shower, he brushed his teeth about four times. He never thought he'd appreciate his toothbrush quite so much.

It was almost two hours before he finally left the bathroom, heading immediately toward their closet to find some new, clean clothes to wear. He was practically giddy with the thought.

Halfway across the room, however, he was intercepted by Axel. The redhead grabbed him around the waist and pulled him close, Roxas clinging to his towel to keep it from dropping to the floor. Axel kissed him on the mouth, a quick, hard press of lips.

"I've wanted to do that since I realized you were on the other side of that cell wall," he breathed. Roxas tilted his head back in an open invitation and Axel didn't waste it. Roxas almost felt like he was being devoured, but he wouldn't stop it for anything.

"We've got to hold true to a promise we made back in the dungeon," Axel murmured between kisses.

Though Roxas knew they had so much else to do, he allowed it to slip his mind. For now, it was just him and Axel and the rest of the world didn't matter.

Not much caring about the towel anymore, Roxas lifted his arms and wrapped them around Axel's neck in wordless agreement.

A tendril of magic whipped out and cut him across the cheek, causing a snarl to build low in his throat.

"Why don't you just kill me?" Riku demanded suspiciously, giving another useless tug at the chains shackling his wrists to the wall. His aunt's high, cackling laughter filled the air.

"Don't worry, Ansem, that will come soon enough. But first…first I have to get that magic from you. Quite some power you have, to break through my wards."

"My name is Riku," he snapped. "And I didn't break the wards. They let me in because they recognized me as Crown Prince and the rightful ruler."

"And therein lies the problem, Ansem-"

"-Riku-"

"-With you in the way, I can't control the magic of the palace as I should. Once you're dead, the title will rightfully be mine."

"No, it won't," Riku said, having to fight a grin at the dumbfounded look on her face that was quickly replaced with a mask of indifference.

"Have you produced a son while abroad, dear Ansem? You're only, what, twenty now?"

"Twenty-four, actually," Riku answered, pleased to have the upper hand.

"Whatever!" she snapped. "Twenty-four, then. Your child can't be very old. Easily disposed of."

"Not my child," Riku shook his head. "Yours."

Maleficent froze, her eyes growing wider. "What…what do you mean?"

"Hollow Bastion is a patriarchy. The only way a woman can rightfully rule is if all the male heirs are dead. And your son is in line after me."

Even at six years old, Riku had realized that Maleficent's main purpose in life was doting on her one and only son. She gave him everything he ever asked for and she adored him above all else. Unfortunately for her, he didn't like the way she viewed the world. His political and humane ideals were very, very different from hers. She wouldn't be able to manipulate him, but she also couldn't kill her own son.

"Leaves you in a bit of a pickle, doesn't it?" he asked snidely.

"Shut up!" she cried. "You little wretch. Goddammit, I should have killed you when you were a baby. I could have, you know. Your mother, oh your mother, she _adored_ me. After all, I always watched her precious little baby. While she was constantly out and about on the town, I raised you. Killing her is possibly one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. It's a terrible shame Sephiroth had to go, because I quite loved my brother, but a woman does what she has to. Now you, there's too much of your mother in you. I'll enjoy killing you like I did her. Slowly."

Riku growled angrily, fighting against his restraints again, wishing he could get the room to recognize him and help rather then fight against him. He wanted to break free and cause her pain. Not just kill her, though that was certainly on the list. He wanted her to suffer, just as he had for eighteen long years, with the vision of his dead parents ingrained into every inch of his memory.

When Riku finally spoke, his voice came out calm and collected. Not a threat, but simply a fact. "I'm going to kill you," he said.

"It shall be fun to watch you try," was her only reply.

Roxas and Axel lay together on their bed, completely spent. Axel was spread out on his back with Roxas laying halfway on his chest, his blonde head resting against Axel's shoulder. Both of their eyes were drooped as if they might fall asleep any moment. Axel stroked lazy circles on Roxas' back and every once in a while, Roxas pressed a kiss to any skin he could reach without moving from his position.

"How do you feel?" Axel asked after a while.

"Guilty," Roxas sighed.

"Well, I was talking about your back, but continue."

Roxas moved to sit up, winced in pain, thought better of it, and settled back down. "It's just…well, I've known Riku my entire life. He's always been around, you know? And now that he's in danger, I just…I feel so guilty about leaving him hanging, you know? I mean, he's like my brother and I basically threw him to the wolves."

Axel sighed, his hand ceasing its movements. "Roxas, you know there's not much we can do…"

"But we should do whatever we can," Roxas said firmly. After a long silence, Axel sighed quietly.

"All right, then. I guess we're going to help."

-------------------------

A/N: At 6:24 this evening, I beat KH 358/2 days. Boo-yah.


	14. Making a Plan

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 14

After another shower, a change of clothes, and quick healing spell for Roxas' back pain, the couple slipped into one of their back passages, trying to avoid being seen at all costs. They'd both agreed that it was better if everyone still thought Roxas dead and Axel gone. They wouldn't like being abandoned for such a hapless cause so soon after they got their monarchs back. If one or both of them died-not too unlikely in the situation-then at least the people wouldn't have to be faced with grief twice.

As they went, Axel was whispering into his cupped hands, creating a message to send to Roxas' uncle, the king of Midgar. Midgar was only half a day's ride from Hollow Bastion. Calling on their alliance, they were asking to borrow some soldiers to get there first. Roxas most certainly didn't want to send them to their deaths, but he hoped they could do some reconnaissance and find out if Riku was dead or alive.

As they came out of the passage, they almost ran into Demyx and Zexion, who both looked rather put out. So much for their plan of not being discovered. The guards stared and the kings stared back, until finally Demyx let out a little laugh and threw his arms around Roxas in a huge hug.

"Oh shit! You're alive!" The blonde was tense under the hold, but still rather touched that Demyx cared so much. Zexion cleared his throat slightly and Demyx pulled away quickly.

"Sorry about that, Your Majesty," he apologized with a cheerful grin. "I just got really excited."

"It's fine," Roxas said quickly. "Listen, you can't tell anyone you saw either of us, all right?" They both stared at him blankly and Axel shook his head.

"Look, we really don't have time to explain. Just, trust me when I tell you that it's better this way, all right?" He opened his hands finally and a small flame butterfly rested on his palms. It's wings twitched slightly and then it took off into flight, evaporating through the wall.

"Why a butterfly?" Roxas asked curiously.

"That way, if anyone sees it, they won't necessarily connect it to me immediately. I usually use a phoenix," Axel explained.

"Remember, you didn't see anything," Roxas said sternly to the two guards, who nodded obediently. The two kings continued on their way, more careful to pay attention and avoid running into anyone else. They made it to the hospital without running into any more mishaps and quickly slipped inside, hoping that Finkelstein would be too oblivious to take notice of them. Fortunately for them, it seemed the doctor wasn't even in.

"Convenient," Axel remarked as they cast careful glances around for him.

"Let's get in there before he decides to show up," Roxas mumbled, pulling the redhead along by his hand. They slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

"Shit," Axel said, letting out a harsh rush of breath.

'Shit' was absolutely right. Sora was collapsed on the floor next to Zack's bed, his usually tan skin pale, eyes closed. He appeared to be unconscious.

Roxas released Axel's hand and rushed to his brother's side, checking for a pulse, letting out a sigh of relief when he found it.

"What the hell do you think happened?" Axel asked, lifting the brunet off the floor and setting him on one of the extra beds.

Roxas glanced between his brother and the Hollow Bastonian, heart sinking as things seemed to connect together in his head.

"Sora tried to heal him," he muttered despairingly. "Sora's never been able to heal even as well as I have. But…he tried anyway because he was desperate to save Riku. He didn't know about the curse…Axel…it'll kill him!"

"Roxy. Roxy calm down," Axel said quickly, grabbing the blonde's shoulders and giving him a gentle shake. When Roxas' hysterics died down, he spoke again. "We'll figure this out, all right? Sora will be fine, I promise."

"How can you promise that, Ax? Finkelstein said…"

"I know what Finkelstein said. He also said we could stop it by killing the caster, didn't he?"

Roxas let out a breath, staring up at his redheaded lover, trying to catch breath that just didn't seem to want to fill his lungs properly. His vision seemed to black out for a moment and he felt his knees slide out from under him. Axel grabbed him quickly, holding the blonde to his chest and stroking his back calmly.

"Are…are you suggesting we assassinate the monarch of another kingdom?" Roxas asked breathlessly, glad that he hadn't actually passed out.

"Not us, per se."

The world finally stopped spinning and Roxas pushed back out of Axel's arms so he could look the redhead in the face.

"I don't understand, Aku."

"It's simple, really," he said. "Riku's the heir to a throne wrongfully taken from him. How does he claim his throne? He kills the person who took it from him. We'll just…back him up with our army, if he needs it."

Roxas' eyes widened as he thought about it.

"That sounds a bit like we're using him."

"Not really, Rox. You know Riku would do anything to help Sora."

This was true. Extremely true. And Riku would want to free his people from the oppression of a false queen, wouldn't he? Very slowly, Roxas nodded. Axel's plan made sense, and it was really the only thing they had. The biggest question, at this point, was whether Riku was still alive or not. If he wasn't then they had nothing. If he was…hopefully he'd cooperate with them.

"All right. Let's do it then. Send another message to Rufus. Tell him, that if Riku's still alive, we need someone to get a message to him somehow. To tell him that we're coming and he'll have our support, if he can hold out for a few days."

"We're just going to barge in?" Axel asked doubtfully. Roxas' eyes flashed dangerously, his fists clenching as he looked at his brother, unconscious and in danger.

"The first time, we were unprepared and unsuspecting. They caught us by surprise and we were grossly outnumbered. This time, though, we'll be ready, and we'll be at full power. I will destroy her myself if I have to. She caused you pain, she slaughtered our people, she's after the life of my favorite guard, and she hurt my brother. She will pay," Roxas spat, "because this time, she's gone too far. She's gotten way too personal."

Axel stared at Roxas uncertainly for another few moments.

"You realize this means we'll have to tell everyone that we're alive, right?"

"Yes."

Roxas was so determined, his spine ramrod straight, his blue eyes icy and angry, jaw clenched, and ready for anything life could possibly conceive to throw at him that Axel found he couldn't question him. He merely brought his hands to his mouth again and began forming a message, not bothering to change the shape of his usual messenger this time. Casting the spell, he released the bird to deliver his message, watching as it flickered through the wall and out of existence. Sighing with the wonder of what was to come, he turned to Roxas.

"Are you ready?"

The blonde nodded curtly and left the room, leaving the redhead to follow at a quick yet cautious pace. He wasn't quite sure where Roxas was headed, but it quickly became apparent. After a few hallways and sharp turns, Axel realized they were walking their old route, heading toward the market place. Axel had to hand it to him. The easiest way to reveal that he was still alive was definitely to walk straight through the busiest part of the castle.

"Roxy, wait a second!" he cried, grabbing his blonde lover's arm and pulling him sideways into an alcove in the wall, out of immediate view. "Do you really think this is wise? Shouldn't you, I don't know, break it to your parents first? Let them be the first to know?" Roxas stared at him for a long moment in complete silence, his blue eyes blank and uncomprehending. Finally, he slowly shook nodded his head.

"Yeah…you're right. Of course you're right. They should know first. It's only fair…I mean…they must have been going crazy these past three months…Jeez, I'm a horrible son…"

Axel chuckled abruptly, putting his arms around Roxas' shoulders and giving the blonde a quick squeeze. Pulling away, he looked the blonde in the eyes.

"Roxy, your parents will be so stoked to see that you're alive, they won't get mad at you for anything for a while. Your mom will give you that huge squeeze hug and probably cry and Cloud will do that thing where he's grinning on the inside and trying not to smile on the outside. They love you more then anything in the world."

Roxas smiled sadly and nodded.

"I guess we better go find them…"

"I gave them the set of rooms down the hall from ours. They've been living here since Hartz…" he trailed off, seeing the sudden look of sadness in the blonde's eyes. "Anyway, let's go." Locating the nearest back passage, they reached their living quarters rather quickly. Before they knew it, they were standing in front of the doors to Roxas' parents' room and the smaller froze, staring at the wood paneling as if it might eat him.

Axel placed an encouraging hand on his back and Roxas sighed, squared his shoulders, and knocked firmly on the door. The sound of soft footsteps approached the door before it swung open, revealing Aeris. The difference was stunning. While she looked mostly the same, the difference was all in her face. Her green eyes didn't sparkle with happiness and were ringed with dark bags. Her usual sweet smile was gone and she just looked downright depressed.

Something in that changed, however, when she realized who was standing in her doorway. His shoulders relaxed as if a huge weight was lifted and she let out a small scream, followed quickly by a look of pure joy.

"Oh!" she cried, a hand coming to her mouth. "Oh, my boys! You're alive! Oh, I thought you were dead…!" She threw her arms around the pair of them and hugged them tightly to her, a position that was rather awkward and uncomfortable, yet so very welcomed.

Axel was surprised that Aeris was holding him as tightly as Roxas. Technically, he had been abducted, but he would have thought Aeris would have reacted much more strongly to the return of her son then to him, but she seemed equally relieved to see both of them. Maybe he'd underestimated her. Aeris kissed both of their faces several times, tears streaming down her face.

"Cloud!" she called, grabbing their hands and dragging them into the room. "Cloud, come here!"

A few moments later, the older blonde stumbled into the room, his blue eyes first stopping to rest on Axel, showing a bit of confusion and surprise, but also relief. He then looked toward his wife, and finally stopped on his son. The blue eyes widened considerably and then Cloud was across the room as well, hugging his son tightly. Roxas looked completely stunned, but he didn't shirk away from the gesture. He relaxed completely into the grip, arms coming to loop around his father's frame, resting his cheek against the older man's shoulder. Aeris came at Axel again, throwing her arms around his middle and hugging him tightly once more. They certainly were being quite touchy for a people who didn't like showing emotion or touching. Then again, your son coming back from the dead was probably big enough to break some of the rules.

The redhead patted Aeris' back gently as she shook with her tears. It was good to know that now they were happy tears.

"Mom…" Roxas spoke up finally, pulling from his dad's grip and gently prying his mother off of Axel. "Mom, stop crying. It's all right. We're both perfectly fine, I promise."

Aeris, however, couldn't seem to stop. She grabbed Roxas again and hugged him tightly, talking between her sobs.

"Roxas, I thought you were dead! Riku…Riku said he saw it, and I just didn't know what to do…Axel didn't, either, and when he got taken…" She went quiet for a few moments as she tried to get control over herself. "I lost two sons in the such a short span…and now I find out that you're okay! You're both here and alive and…I'm just so happy!" Roxas sent Cloud an unreadable look, but one that Cloud himself seemed to understand quite well.

"Aeris," he spoke up. "You're getting hysterical. Come lie down for a while. You can strangle the boys some more later after you've calmed down a bit and they've settled in, all right?" Aeris seemed reluctant, but she allowed Cloud to lead her from the room.

"See? I told you," Axel said, wrapping a loose arm around Roxas' shoulders and pressing a quick kiss into his blonde spikes.

"You're going to be relentless with the touching now, aren't you?" Roxas grumbled, albeit leaning into the redhead's touch.

"Of course," he answered cheerfully. "When you were dead, I wished that I'd done it more. Now that you're alive again, you'll never escape from it!"

Roxas groaned quietly, but Axel spotted the smile on his lips.

------------------

A/N: Oh my god, it took me a whole month to write this chapter. It's only six word pages long. SIX! I've been having such a terrible writer's block…I thought I'd have to scrap this, it was so bad. I seem to be getting better though, so hopefully fourteen chapters of work won't go to waste…


	15. Convincing Cloud

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 15

"You're planning something that's going to break your mother's heart, aren't you?" Cloud asked as he reentered the room. Roxas grimaced, but didn't back down.

"Yeah, I guess. The original plan had been to sneak away so no one would know if we both died…again…but plans change."

Cloud cocked an eyebrow, looking some sort of offended.

"What could possibly be so important that you'd risk your life over it?" he demanded.

"Riku traded himself for us and we have to help him…" He was cut off by his father's incredulous laugh.

"What could Hollow Bastion have wanted Riku for? He's a brilliant guard, no doubt, but that's all he is…"

Roxas shook his head impatiently.

"No, dad, he's not. He's their prince. She's going to kill him!"

Looking quite taken aback, Cloud's eyes darkened with thought. After a long moment, though, he looked up with a frown.

"It sounds harsh, Rox, but that was Riku's decision…"

"Sora's in danger too!" Roxas cried. "Maleficent has to die or Sora will!"

This seemed to draw Cloud to a complete stop. When he finally did speak, he only said one word.

"Explain."

"Well, it's a really long story, but the man who came here from Hollow Bastion has a curse on him. It's sucking away his energy and Finkelstein figures it will kill him and anyone who tries to cure him. When Sora found out about Riku, he tried to cure him because he didn't know, and now they're both in danger!"

"For gods sakes, you two can't keep out of trouble, can you? Your peace is not very peaceful."

However they might have responded to that was interrupted by a flower suddenly bursting up from the floor. Roxas stared at it uncertainly as the plant bloomed, it's petals unfolding to reveal a single piece of paper.

Sparing the two other men a quick look, Roxas picked up the paper tentatively, as if expecting it to attack. Written in a fancy script across the top was a letter head.

"_From the desk of HRM Rufus Shinra, King of Midgar"_ Letting out a sigh of relief, Roxas' eyes dropped the suddenly familiar, slanted handwriting of his uncle.

"Roxas and Axel, of course you have our support. A party is being sent as I write this and should arrive in Hollow Bastion shortly. Good luck.

_Uncle Rufus."_

Roxas let out a sigh of relief, setting down the paper, which promptly disappeared into smoke, along with the flower that had brought it.

"What was that?" Axel demanded, looking quite chagrined that the message had disappeared before he'd had a chance to look at it.

"It was from Uncle Rufus," Roxas explained. "He's already dispatched some soldiers. We need to start making arrangements. Once we know whether Riku's alive or not, we need to go."

Axel nodded his agreement and held out a hand to Cloud to shake.

"If we don't see you again…thanks a lot for the sound advice you've given us," he said solemnly. Cloud nodded, equally as serious, and shook the offered hand.

"Then take this last piece of advice. Plan. Don't rush in and be stupid, actually plan things out, or you have no chance. I know the pair of you can accomplish anything if you actually try. I've seen it happen with my own two eyes. Don't be foolhardy and you'll be fine."

With this advice ringing in their ears, they set off, hand in hand, toward the marketplace to announce that the news of their deaths were greatly exaggerated.

Riku was sure his arms would be aching if he could feel them. All his body weight had been hanging off his chained wrists for so long, they had gone numb. Honestly, though, he would prefer the numbness to the pain any day. Maleficent had grown bored with tormenting him after his initial revelation that she would have to kill her own son and had left him stranded in the dark. He didn't mind the dark so much. It was actually rather comforting, something he knew very well. He'd long ago given up on trying to coax his surroundings into recognizing him. He'd been gone so long and changed so much, it probably wouldn't recognize him unless some blood was spilled. In his current situation, blood was something he really couldn't afford to lose. He let his eyes fall closed and hoped that he might manage to catch some sleep. No sooner had he let his head slump down towards his chest then he heard a noise from the darkness. He left his eyes closed, but listened, wondering if it had just been his imagination. But, alas, it had not. He heard another shuffled footstep and he snapped his head up, eyes scanning the darkness with no result. Without his magic to control the darkness, he couldn't see through it.

"Who is there?" he hissed, muscles tensing automatically. Not that his adrenaline would help much. The options of flight or fight were both cut down severely by the chains holding him to the wall.

Another shuffle came from the darkness, and a moment later, Riku's mouth was being covered by a hand pressed hard against his lips.

"You have nothing to fear from me," an unfamiliar voice whispered in his ear. "If I let you go, will you stay quiet?"

Not seeing any other way out of it, Riku nodded. His mouth was released and he had to bite back the urge to demand to know who had accosted him.

"I can't stay long. I need you to listen to me. Are you listening?"

"Yes," Riku whispered, his voice barely a ghost's breath.

"Your kings have not forsaken you, Riku. They are coming. If you can hold on for a few days, they will help you."

Axel and Roxas were coming. Those idiots! He'd given his freedom for them so they could rush right back in to danger? Why did he even bother trying to protect them? They were obviously hell bent on getting themselves killed anyway.

"No!" he hissed out loud. "Tell them no. Tell them I'm already dead. They have to stay away, they could die…"

"They've all ready mobilized," the voice responded. "They're on their way. Just over two days until they arrive. Can you last that long?"

As his mind was racing with a million thoughts, all Riku could answer with was a simple, "Yeah."

After another moment of silence he grinned slightly.

"And tell Roxas I'm going to throttle him for this." The voice laughed quietly and, after the shuffle of footsteps, disappeared into the darkness.

Needless to say, Roxas and Axel's appearance in the market place created quite the uproar. Many rushed to great them, to touch them, to be sure that they were really there. When it was confirmed that they weren't just apparitions, there were loud cries of jubilation and some of "long live the king!" Roxas found himself a bit embarrassed by all the attention. He hadn't realized how much the people actually liked them. It wasn't long before a few of the royal guard picked up on what was going on and joined them in the crowd, gathering around them and ushering the pair to a place that was less crowded. Leon found them before long and he was scowling quite angrily.

"What the hell?" he spat. "Riku takes up his post again and Roxas dies and then Axel get abducted and now you're both here and perfectly fine? The entire kingdom has been in mourning for _months_."

"It's great to see you, too, Leon," Roxas said dryly. "Would you rather me be dead?"

Regaining some composure, Leon stood up straight and shook his head quickly. He cast a glance around at the people crowding around them, trying to keep his voice down so that they couldn't hear, but also loud enough as to where Roxas and Axel could hear him. The clamor was quite large around them.

"Of course not, Your Majesty," he answered quickly. "But things have been hectic and people will wonder where you've been."

Roxas' eyes darkened a bit, a scowl pushing it's way onto his face.

"Then tell them that I've been imprisoned in a dark, dank dungeon for three months."

No emotion betrayed Leon's face, but for the subtle raise of eyebrows that someone who hadn't known him for their entire lives would miss completely. Roxas, however, noticed it easily.

"It's the truth," he insisted. "She captured me instead of killing me and locked me in her dungeon. I was fed, though I don't know if what she gave me can properly be called food. Anyway, that's hardly important right now. I was beginning to think she'd forgotten about me when Axel showed up as well and Riku followed shortly thereafter to rescue him. I might have been locked up there until I died if Axel hadn't allowed himself to be captured."

All right, so Roxas didn't really know whether Axel had allowed himself to be captured, but it certainly did sound like something the idiotic yet passionate redhead would do. Leon gaped at him like he wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to respond to that. Instead, he just nodded wordlessly.

"Where is Riku, then?" he asked, looking like he expected to hear the worst.

"That's the worst part," Roxas sighed in frustration. "Do you remember the prince we were looking for?"

Leon's jaw muscles tightened up and his eyes narrowed just in the slightest.

"Riku?" he said slowly. "Riku's a prince?"

"King, technically," Roxas answered tiredly, "though he hasn't been crowned yet."

"The point is, he's traded himself for us and because of it, Sora's in danger," Axel explained quickly. "So basically, we have to gather the army and anyone else whose willing, find out if Riku's still alive and if he is, we go and defeat the reigning queen and get Riku his throne back. Sora will be okay then."

Leon, looking very much like he wanted to demand every little detail, clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

"And if Riku's dead?"

"Same plan without the saving Riku part," Axel sighed. "Either way, we have to help Sora. Riku being alive is more preferable, of course, because then we'll have another allied country…" He let out an 'oof!' as Roxas elbowed him. Casting a glare at the blonde, Axel rubbed his sore ribs and continued, "And of course, it will be great to know our friend is unharmed. No matter which way, though, Hollow Bastion's queen will be dead by the end of the week."

Leon let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Roxas, I really respect your love for your people. You honestly and truly care what happens to them. But…if you die-again-the whole kingdom will fall apart."

"I know," Roxas said quietly, looking away from Leon's face.

"And you'll do it anyway?" Leon said, more like a statement then a question.

"Yes."

Looking to Axel, he arched an eyebrow as if pleading for some sanity. "And you won't do anything to stop him?"

Axel shook his head. "I lost him once. I couldn't bear it if he died on me again. I'm going with him, because then I know I can protect him if I have to. Besides…I kind of agree with him."

"Forgive me, Majesties, but you're stupid," Leon said bluntly. "Valiant and wonderful, loving people, but irreparably stupid."

Axel laughed out loud and shook his head. "You know, Leon, that is not the first time someone's told me that."

--------------------------

A/N: So....Facebook just told me I have a 23 percent chance of being secretly gay.....XD


	16. Recruiting

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 16

As they planned their last minute recruiting speech, Roxas held Axel's hand tightly. He didn't know why. Either that, or he just didn't want to admit it to himself. Either way, their hands were clinging together like one of them would be yanked away at any moment.

"Ease up there a bit," Axel said quietly, causing Roxas to instantly release his hand and look away with flushed cheeks. Axel's responsive laugh wasn't very happy or amused. His long fingers wrapped around Roxas' again and squeezed lightly.

"You were hurting me, is all," he said, equally as quiet.

"Sorry," Roxas replied. "I'm…nervous, I suppose."

"Yeah, me too."

Leon appeared back from the crowd, pushing his way into the circle of guards surrounding the kings on all sides.

"Basically the entire marketplace is standing there staring, waiting for you two to come out and say something," Leon reported. "Are you going to leave them waiting?"

The pair exchanged a nervous glance and Axel's fingers tightened around Roxas'.

"Do you want to talk, or should I?" he asked.

"You start," Roxas said, feeling the color drain from his face, "I'll join in when I'm sure I won't vomit."

"Lovely image, Rox, thanks," Axel sighed. A small smile suddenly split across his face, and Roxas found that he just had to ask.

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, I was just thinking about telling them that you're actually alive. It was such a beautiful service, it's a pity it wasn't used on someone who was actually dead."

Roxas stared at him, dumbfounded. "Why is everyone telling me they'd rather I be dead today?" he huffed.

Axel squeezed his hand once more and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"You know that's not true. I love you to bits. Now come on, let's spread our message of war, shall we?"

"Someone sound the drums of war," Roxas muttered sarcastically. As if it was a planned move-which it wasn't-the kings nodded to the guards in unison, who stepped out of the way smoothly and gracefully. They were presented with what looked like the entire kingdom, all of them screaming and cheering and perhaps, if a woman in the front row was anything to judge by, crying. For all the noise being made, everything instantly went silent when Axel opened his mouth to speak.

"As you have probably seen by now, the news of Roxas' death was greatly over exaggerated. When I was abducted earlier this morning…"

Had it really only been a few hours since Axel had been kidnapped? It seemed like so long ago.

"…I had every intention of killing the person who'd killed him. Taking revenge, in lighter terms. But I overestimated my ability…"

Lie. Axel had planned on dying there and Roxas knew it.

"…But then I discovered that Roxas was still alive. Many of you know Riku, the head of our Royal Guard and of Hartz before that. Many of you grew up with him or got to know him in our time of unity. Riku has been truly loyal to us for years. As it turns out, Riku is the prince of a neighboring kingdom by the name of Hollow Bastion. In order to save us, he turned himself over to his aunt, who wants to kill him…"

There was an outbreak of talking in the crowd, people no doubt wondering where they were going with this or talking about Riku's bravery.

"We're going to save him," Roxas spoke up finally, voice cutting across all the others, causing silence to reign once again. "There is a chance that we'll be too late, but we have to try. Now we must ask you a great favor. Know that none of you, by any means, are required to take part in this, but know also that we're asking for your help. Riku needs your help. Who will fight with us?"

There was a long silence as the crowd all stared back at them and Roxas wondered if no one would stand. Finally, though, someone raised his hand into the air.

"I will."

Upon closer inspection, Roxas realized that it was Zexion. The crowd parted for him as he made his way towards Roxas and Axel. He reached them in mere seconds and bowed quickly before moving to stand at their side.

"Me too!" Predictably, Demyx was the next to offer his service.

"Well, I'm fighting!" A chipper voice issued forth, and a moment later, Yuffie was beside them as well. Leon didn't say a word, but nodded in solidarity, followed quickly by Lexaeus and Xigbar.

Before long, the entire Royal Guard was flanking them, staring expectantly at the crowd. They all stared back nervously. They didn't want to get involved in another war and Roxas could understand that. Their newly healed wounds were too close to the surface. They might not survive it if they ripped open again.

"I guess this is it, then," Roxas said quietly, though his voice carried over the silence. It sounded defeated and a bit scared, something his subjects should never have had to hear.

A sudden ruckus came from the very center of the crowd and started toward them. Roxas watched it with slightly narrowed eyes, not liking that he couldn't see what was coming toward him. The people directly in front of them opened up and out came Pence, looking like he might throw up, but determined all the same. Roxas knew the feeling.

"I'll help, too," Pence said quietly, clapping Roxas on the shoulder and shaking Axel's hand.

As if a dam had broken, voices cried up from the crowd, hands thrust in to the air. It seemed as if every male (and some females) had decided to join their cause as well.

"Thank you," Roxas said quietly to Pence, who merely winked and grinned, still looking a bit pale. Raising his voice to speak to the crowd, he said, "We leave by dawn. Be prepared." As if these were magic words, the entire crowd dispersed.

"I really hope you know what you're doing," Leon said quietly.

"We're saving a friend," Roxas answered with a shrug, turning and heading back up toward the castle. Axel followed his lead, once more lacing their fingers together. Roxas found that he was comforted by the simple touch. He'd gone for far too long without it.

"I really missed you," he said just loud enough to where Axel could hear him. Axel squeezed his hand in response and might have said something back, if Zexion hadn't stepped in front of them, eyes troubled.

"It can't be true, what you said," Zexion insisted firmly. "You must be mistaken."

Roxas shook his head slowly. "I wish I was, but Riku told us himself."

"Then he was lying!" Zexion maintained. Axel shook his head slowly, biting his lip.

"I really don't think he was, Zex."

"He had to be. He's been around my whole life. I think I'd notice if he wasn't. Someone would have noticed him appearing out of nowhere!"

"He came here when he was six years old. He's seven years older then you, isn't he?" Zexion looked away, biting his lip uncertainly.

"I just can't believe it," he finally said.

"You can talk to Riku about it when we get him back," Roxas said gently. "He'll have the answers. I have to admit, I have some questions of my own."

"I have questions right now, your majesty, and Riku might not live long enough to answer them."

Roxas sighed and shook his head forlornly. "Look, Zexion, I don't know what to tell you. We'll either help him or we won't, but I'm certainly going to try. I don't know anything more then what Riku told me and I certainly can't help you right now, okay? There's too much to do."

Zexion nodded solemnly and backed away.

"Of course, your majesty. I'm sorry."

All Roxas could think about as Zexion turned his back and walked away was hope. Hope that the entire mission wouldn't fall apart on them before it even started.

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A/N: Oh. My. God. This chapter was so hard to force out. Right up until after that part with Pence was totally fine and then I was just…stuck. It took me a month to throw this thing together and I'm not very satisfied with it AND it's short. Where is the justice? I'll tell you where. It's hidden in your reviews! (Get the hint?)


	17. Intermission: Riku's Tale

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 17-Intrelude

A loud scraping noise jostled six year old Ansem from his slumber. He sat up from his pillows, looking around the room in confusion and a haze of fatigue. A gentle breeze pushed the curtain in front of his window just enough that he could see that it was still dark outside. On closer inspection, he realized that the scraping noise was coming from the bookshelf across from his bed. A guard was thrusting the shelf to the side, revealing a gaping passage beyond. His mother was at the foot of his bed, fiddling with something that he couldn't make out in the darkness.

"Mommy?" he whispered, pushing his blankets aside and crawling towards the end of his bed. "Mommy, what's going on?"

She looked up and Ansem saw that her face was streaked with tears. Instantly, a sense of foreboding filled him. His mother never cried.

"Mommy, why are you sad?" he demanded, resting a small hand on her cheek. Her eyes closed for a moment and she smiled softly before taking his hand in hers.

"I'm all right, Riku," she said quietly, using her special nickname for him. "I promise. You have to get up, now, all right? Dress warmly and as quickly as you can."

"Where are we going, mommy?" Ansem asked in a hushed voice, scrambling off his bed and toward his bureau.

"We have to go away for a while. Only for a little while. Kind of like a vacation."

A sudden excitement filled Ansem. They hardly ever had much time to spend together, and his parents had been promising to take a vacation for a long time. They were finally going! He dressed quickly, something that would be easy for travel, aided by his mother. After he'd finished tying on his shoes, she thrust a jacket into his arms with a strained smile.

"It's very important that you don't lose this coat, okay?" she said quietly. "Promise me that you won't lose it."

"I promise," Ansem said, proud that his mother trusted him with such a task. "Where are we going?"

She spoke so quietly, Ansem had to strain to hear her. So quietly, in fact, that he was fairly sure he wasn't supposed to hear her. "Somewhere where they won't find us. A place they'd never think to look." Her words confused him, but he said nothing. The air had a somber feel to it, and suddenly a much more important question burst forth.

"Mommy, where's dad?" he asked quietly. If she was going to answer him, she wasn't given the chance. A splitting shriek sounded from the other side of the door, and her face went pale. Ansem stared at the door warily, not sure what exactly was going on.

"You've got to go, Your Majesty," the guard said urgently. "Come on, you need time to escape." She nodded, gesturing to Ansem as she did so. The guard scooped him up and carried him through the entrance of the bookcase, gesturing to the queen to follow him. Another harsh noise came from the other side of the door, and this time Ansem saw the wood crack. He clutched the shirt of the guard holding him, his heart beating erratically with adrenaline. Ansem's mother's face went even paler, if possible, as she glanced over her shoulder at the door, which cracked again.

"Come, Your Majesty!" The guard hissed. She merely shook her head and touched the side of the bookcase.

Having been opened so recently, it was infinitely easier to move the second time. Ansem and his guard watched in horror as the door shut, locking them out of the room, and Ansem's mother inside.

"Mom!" Ansem cried, but his voice was quickly cut off by the guard's hand covering his mouth gently but firm all the same.

The sound of splintering wood rang out, followed quickly by the slam of a door swinging into the wall.

"Where is he?" a familiar voice demanded, high and cold. "Where is the boy?"

"He's gone!" Ansem's mother growled. "You won't touch my son as long as I'm alive to stand in your way!"

"Good thing you're easily disposed of then, isn't it, dear?" the cold voice said, seemingly unaffected.

"I don't understand, Maleficent! Why? Sephiroth was your brother, he loved you! How could you kill him in cold blood?"

"Because I want power," was the simple reply. "Kill her."

The guard took off at a run away from the secret door, but he wasn't fast enough for Ansem not to hear his mother's high scream, and the sound of her dead weight hitting the floor.

Three days later brought them to high gates surrounding a castle. Riku couldn't stop looking at all the people. They were so strange and different from what he was used to. People in Hollow Bastion tended to have hair colors ranging from gray to dusky blonde. People here had hair of all different colors and shades. He'd never seen anything like it before.

The guard, who he'd learned was named Kadaj, looked beyond the gates and sighed quietly.

"All right, do you remember the story?"

Ansem, or rather, Riku, nodded. "My name is Riku and I'm your son who was being raised abroad due to citizenship problems," Riku reiterated, not even really sure what any of that meant. "I'm finally coming home to live with my family."

"Good, very good," Kadaj murmured distractedly. "Now you stand by that story and never, ever tell anyone the truth. I promised your parents I'd keep you safe. Now, you must remember, here, you aren't Prince Ansem. Here, you are just Riku. Son of the head of the Royal Guard and nothing more. You will be expected to show the proper amount of respect to the residing Royal Family, is that understood?"

Riku nodded slowly, a sick feeling in his stomach. "Yes, sir."

Kadaj let out a small smile and nodded. "All right. Good. Well, then, let's go, shall we?"

Zexion, age seven, stared moodily out his window. He'd known when he'd signed up to train to be in the Royal Guard that it would be hard work, but he hadn't expected to be treated so terribly on the very first day. How could they expect him to be able to fight against someone who'd been training for years? It wasn't fair.

A light tapping sounded on the outside of his door, and before he gave his consent, it slid open and his older brother entered the room. Riku was fourteen and good at everything. He'd already been assigned to Prince Sora, making him the youngest guard on the force. They wouldn't have assigned him if he wasn't completely capable.

"Hey, Zex," Riku said by way of greeting, taking a seat on Zexion's bed. "It's all right, you know."

"How can it be all right?" Zexion grumped. "I got beaten in front of everyone!"

"If you'd have stayed long enough, you'd have seen that all the other new recruits did too. It's a conditioning process, Zex. No one expected any of you to win that fight. What they want to see is if you'll come back again tomorrow and learn from your mistakes."

Zexion huffed, still not quite so sure. "What about you?" he demanded.

Riku blinked unsurely at him. "What about me?"

"Did you win that very first battle?"

Riku looked away, a soft flush lighting up his cheeks. Without the words, Zexion knew the answer, but Riku said them aloud anyway. "Yes, I did."

"You see!" Zexion cried. "You did it, and now you're in charge of a prince! I mean, sure, he's nine, but he's a prince and you get to spend all your time in his company!"

"Look, Zex, I didn't just magically win. I trained. I trained hard every day for a year before I attempted to join. I owe them so much, I just had to lend my hand, you know. They trust me, but that trust came from my hard work."

"No one could trust me like that," Zexion sighed quietly.

"I trust you, Zex," Riku said. "You want to hear my deepest secret?"

Zexion perked up, looking at him expectantly. Riku grinned a bit, seeing his sudden attention.

"You can't tell anyone, no one at all. Do you understand?" Zexion nodded impatiently. "I promise."

Riku leaned in and whispered, very, very quietly, "I'm a prince."

Zexion drew back sharply, a dark look clouding his face. "That's not funny," he snapped angrily. "You don't trust me at all, you're just being mean! Get out!"

Riku opened his mouth to argue before pausing. Finally, he shook his head and left.

Riku cussed as he dropped the ribbon to tie back his hair, it floating at a lackadaisical pace to the floor and under his bed. Dropping to his knees, he shoved his hand into the darkness, rooting around for the strand of silk. His fingers closed on something wool. Curious, he pulled the object out, a gasp escaping his lips as he saw a small gray wool coat. He had a flashback to the time he'd been spirited away from his bedroom in the middle of the night. He raised the coat to his face and inhaled, almost as if he might be able to smell his mother in the fabric. It just smelled like the rest of his room, though, much to his disappointment. Riku dropped the coat on his bed and kneeled down again to look for his ribbon.

The coat dropped off the side of the bed and hit the ground with a heavy clink. He frowned. That wasn't right. Picking up the jacket once more, he sat back on his heels and inspected the item with a frown. It wasn't long before he noticed that one of the inner seams was sewn shut with white thread, where the rest was done in black. Heart beating quickly now, Riku grabbed his boot knife and cut at the different thread. Once the hole was big enough, he shoved his hand inside. After a moment of rooting, he touched cold metal. Riku yanked out a necklace with a thick silver chain. Dangling from it was the crest of his family. His old family. He remembered clearly seeing it on his father's neck many times when he was young.

The stories said it held the power of their line within it. Even as he held it in his hand, Riku could feel it warming more then just by his skin. It pulsed and almost felt alive in his hands. Riku slipped the chain over his neck, tucking it under his shirt, where it rested against his heart. It pulsed once more, almost making his blood sing.

A soft knock sounded at the door and Sora entered a moment later, looking a mix between amused and stressed. Sora, who was so young, who had seen so much in his short life, yet could still smile as if he were the most privileged person in the world. Riku loved him.

"Hey, are you ready yet? The wedding is in twenty minutes, and while I'm sure Axel and Roxas will be too absorbed in each other to notice anyone else, people will notice if you're not there. It will look bad."

"I can't seem to find my hair ribbon," Riku said. He glanced down once more and found the navy blue bit of cloth just by the edge of his bed.

"Here it is," he said, tying his hair back. After this task was done, his straightened out his clothes and grinned at Sora.

"So, what do you think? Presentable?"

Sora reached out and straightened his collar before pulling him down a bit forcefully and kissing him on the lips.

"Very sexy. I love it when you're in dress uniform. Now come on, we'll be late."

Riku followed his lover out of the room, all the while aware of the pulsing beat resting just over his heart.

Riku jerked into consciousness in the dungeon of the kingdom that was rightfully his. He couldn't feel his arms from the shoulders, but suddenly, and very dimly, he felt a pulse over his heart.

As far as he could tell, it had been about two or three days since he had seen a living soul. Maleficent was obviously torn as what to do. Riku had been uncertain how he was supposed to act as well, but now he was positive. He knew exactly what he had to do.

The pulse over his heart became faster, heated, as if it, too, knew exactly what to do. Riku focused fiercely on the pulsing and it grew stronger, more insistent. Finally, letting out a roar of exertion, the pulsing exploded outward and filled the room. He felt it in his bones as if they were words said aloud.

"_Hello, my king."_

The chains on the wall instantly released him and he dropped numbly to the ground, his body completely useless in its current state. Riku coaxed the room to shield him and his release of power, to hide him until he was ready to make his next move.

Until Roxas and Axel showed up, he would have to wait and plan. Until they showed up, he could recuperate. It was almost three hours before he heard a loud crash from upstairs. He looked up, rolling his shoulders, glad that the life had returned to them so quickly. A moment later, Maleficent's voice rose high above the world, shrieking.

"Hollow Bastion is under siege! Prepare for battle!"

Riku grinned, the words sounding sweet to him. He opened a portal directly to the throne room, ready to finally take back what belonged to him.

* * *

A/N: This story is almost done, yo. How does that make you feel? If it makes you sad, I have good news. I have just finished my next story, which will be released shortly after this one finishes. It'll be a Zemyx, and it'll be called Pomegranates. Keep an eye out. :D


	18. Akuseru

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 18

"So we're set then. We attack from all sides. Leon, I want you west, Dad, your group is east. Axel's taking south and I'm north. Send off a flare when you're in position. We move as soon as the sun rises over that hill, not a moment before or after, is that understood?"

The three men huddled around Roxas nodded curtly, expressions serious. They had drawn a make-shift map of Hollow Bastion in the dirt, formed of Roxas and Axel's memories and one of the Midgarian scouts' reports.

"This place is dark as shit," Axel warned looking grave. "She's likely to be in the throne room, which is here," he pointed to a box toward the very center of the drawing. "We need to take her out, but she'll be in her element. Roxas, Cloud, we'll be depending on you two once we're all the way in. Light the place up like the fourth of fucking July."

Cloud and Roxas exchanged a confused glance before looking to Axel for clarification. He merely rolled his eyes. "It's a Ne'erwasian holiday…oh forget it, just make sure there's no chance of shadow." They nodded curtly.

"Leon, once your group clears the walls and is in, I want you and Zexion to find Riku. That's your mission, first and foremost," Roxas instructed. Leon nodded curtly, lifting his head and motioning Zexion over, no doubt to tell him their part of the plan.

Roxas stood from his kneeling position, grimacing at the pain in his legs from the extended period of such a strange position. His head and heart were pounding with adrenaline, and his stomach churned, a familiar feeling that he associated with battle. He started pacing, breathing deeply and trying to rid himself of the nausea. After a few minutes of this, he felt a presence watching him. He turned to look at Axel, who he'd thought had been helping organize the divisions.

He'd never quite seen that look on Axel's face before. It seemed to be a mix of nerves, desperation, determination and concern. He stopped his pacing, and there they stood. About five feet apart, just staring at each other. Roxas noticed that the black of night had melted into deep blue, which meant that they would soon have to leave to get into place.

Before he really knew what he was doing, he'd crossed the space between them, stepping into Axel's waiting arms. He wrapped his own arms around Axel's waist, pressing their bodies as close together as he could. Axel stroked his back slowly, and Roxas relaxed against him.

"I love you," Roxas said quietly. Axel squeezed him a bit before pulling away and looking Roxas in the face.

"Don't," he said, his voice deadly serious and a bit angry. Roxas remembered a scene just like that, almost a year ago, and he flinched slightly.

"What?" he demanded. "I'm not allowed to tell you I love you anymore?"

Axel sighed and shook his head. "Of course you are. You know I love to hear it…it's only…I don't want you to give up yet."

"Axel…try to be realistic," Roxas said, lowering his voice, just in case. He didn't want it to carry on the wind and worry everyone else. "We have the advantage, but there's a good chance we won't all make it out alive."

He hadn't said it out loud before, but suddenly it seemed that much more real. Roxas felt like a total prick. How could he risk so many lives in exchange for two? But then…the only people who had come had been volunteers. They knew what they were getting into…and many of them wanted revenge, he was sure. The attack on Hartz had to have struck chords deep inside the surviving residents.

Axel's grip on Roxas' arms tightened until it was rather painful. Roxas opened his mouth to yell at him, but he was cut of by the redhead's lips covering his own in a hard, fierce kiss. Axel pulled away almost immediately, not giving Roxas any time to respond.

"Don't start saying good-bye. If you die, we won't be apart for long."

Roxas was pretty sure that every muscle in his body had tensed at those words. He looked Axel in the face, not liking the serious look burning like emerald flame in his eyes.

"Axel…you don't mean…"

Axel nodded solemnly. "Of course, I do, Roxy. I've lived with you dead once, and it wasn't much of a life. I was pretty damn useless, to be honest. I'm too attached to you, Rox. You have my heart and most of my soul. There's no point in me without you. So if you fall in there, I won't be far behind you. And that's a promise."

Anger and fear ripped through Roxas like a torrent of raging water. He drew himself up to his full height-which still left him almost a foot shorter then his husband-and put on his very best glare. Axel noticed this, of course, and a sad smile spread over his face.

"So what?" Roxas growled. "What if you die, huh? Am I supposed to get myself killed? How do you like the sound of that, huh?" The smile completely vanished, and Axel looked pale at the thought.

"Hell no. It's not the same, Roxas. You…you're stronger then I am. If I died, you could pull yourself together and do what needed to be done. You could move on with your life and care for our people. You could hide behind that mask of indifference that you're so good at and you could carry on. I wouldn't be able to do it. Once you're gone, I might as well be, too."

Roxas shook his head firmly, fighting the urge to scream. "No!" he cried. "You're not allowed to let yourself get killed in there. Please, promise me you won't!"

"I can't," Axel said quietly. "I couldn't lie to you like that Roxy, so I can't make that promise."

Roxas threw his arms around Axel once more and clutched at him wildly. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded, choking back a sob that tried to break through.

"That nightmare I always have," Axel replied quietly. "The one that makes me scream…you know the one." Roxas nodded slowly, not quite sure what he was getting at. "I've been having that same nightmare continuously for almost all my life. I've always found myself on the battlefield, surrounded by carnage. Everything around me is just covered in gore. I'm just walking through that field, taking in all the horror around me…and then I come across a body I recognize. It's the worst of the group, of course, basically torn apart in the most savage way possible…and the eyes…oh god, those eyes are so accusing. Wide and staring at me as if I killed him myself…" Axel stopped to take a calming breath. When he spoke again, his voice was choked. "When I was younger, it was always Marly. Ever since you nearly died, though, it's always been you. When you were being held captive and I thought you were dead, I had that dream every night. Every single night, I had to see your dead eyes staring blankly at me, and I could never wake up. Gods, Roxas…I just…I couldn't handle it. It almost drove me crazy. If you die…I'll let them kill me. My sanity just couldn't take it."

"Well, then," Roxas said, not able to handle the thought of Axel being dead. The thought of the world without him just seemed…wrong. He pulled away from the tight embrace and grabbed Axel's chin, forcing the redhead to look him in the face. "I guess there's only one solution, then."

Axel raised an eyebrow, obviously his way of telling Roxas to go on.

"We both have to come out of there alive."

A grin split across Axel's face and he nodded. It was such a drastic difference from the solemnity he'd just been portraying that it was almost shocking.

It was then that Roxas realized that he and Axel had more in common then he thought. Axel-who seemingly wore his heart on his sleeve-hid behind that carefree exterior. He'd caught glimpses of it, of course. It would have been impossible for him not to have, considering that most of their time had been spent together for six straight months. Still, every time he'd seen it, he'd written it off. He figured everyone was allowed their moments to be serious, melancholy, pensive, what have you. He'd never even considered the thought that maybe he was seeing a side of Axel that he'd hidden from the world. Almost as if he were seeing Akuseru, the serious, thoughtful compliment to the cheerful, flirtatious Axel.

His heart swelled with the realization. Some tiny part of him had always felt like a plague to Axel's never-ending optimism, but now he could see that it wasn't real. Sure, Axel was a pretty positive person in general, but there came a time when even he reached his limits. That seemed to make him more real to Roxas. He gently pulled Axel's face closer and kissed him with the same amount of compassion.

The knots in his stomach seemed to melt away, something he'd never had happen prior to a battle before. It made him feel more confident, and for that he was thankful. As they kissed, Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas again, though it was different then normal. It was as if Axel were hugging him. Not just holding him in place, but truly hugging him close, letting him know that he wasn't alone. Roxas stroked his face as they pulled away from each other.

"Akuseru," he said quietly, addressing Axel by his real name, possibly for the first time ever. Axel sent him a bemused look, but made a noise to indicate that he was listening anyway. "I don't think I have ever loved you more then I do right now."

A smile that Roxas rarely saw spread over Axel's face. It wasn't a grin or a smirk, but a true smile. Axel kissed him again, but it was quickly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat uncomfortably. They didn't jerk away from each other as if they'd been caught doing something wrong. Instead, they pulled away, lingering only a moment, before turning to look at Leon, who managed to look both stoic and uncomfortable at the same time. Roxas was rather amazed at the impossible combination of expression.

"Excuse me, Majesties…but the sun will be rising soon. I would suggest finding your places," he said.

"Thanks, Leon," Axel said. As Leon began to walk away, Axel followed him. Roxas watched him go, and as soon as Axel was more then ten feet away, his stomach began to churn again. Roxas scanned the sky, seeing the darkness was getting lighter. A cold sweat broke over his skin. He lurched forward and was sick on the ground, something he was quite familiar with. Grimacing at the acid burning the back of his throat, he made his way back down towards where his own group stood, waiting for him. Swinging up onto his horse, he turned and looked at them. He knew he should have some sort of inspirational speech, but all he could think to say, was, "Fight for those that you love."

The soldiers looked back at him silently for a moment before a cheer erupted from them. To his right, a single bolt of lightening struck the sky. Almost immediately after, a ball of light lit up his left and at the same time, a flaming bird burst into the sky directly across from him. Roxas took a breath, raised a hand to the sky, and shot off a beam of light.

They were all in position, waiting and ready. Roxas turned to watch the sun, noticing that the deep blue color of the sky had melted into purples, pinks and light oranges. The first rays of sunlight rose beneath the hill, lighting up the sky.

Roxas heard the sound of the cry from all around, and sounded his own cry amongst them. With his command, they charged towards the castle of Hollow Bastion.

--------------

A/N: Yeah…so I had definitely expected to write the battle in this chapter, but then a whole bunch of ideas swamped me and the whole chapter ended up being some AkuRoku kinda-sorta-fluff-but-not-really. So…yeah. Battle is next chapter. Should be fun.

As for Leon's magic being lightning…yeah, well, I just couldn't think of something good for him, so I just kind of closed my eyes and pointed and, alas, he ended up with the ability to electrocute people. Larxene would be proud.

Finally, a bit of a funny (and by funny I mean completely sad) story for you. I can't watch scary movies because, as a writer, I have too vivid of an imagination that runs away with me sometimes. So…for some reason I decided it would be a good idea to read a ghost story. Yeah…not too smart, huh? Anyway, it's called Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender (if you're interested) and it scared the shit out of me because it takes place in a house that's a little over a hundred years old. Guess how old my house is. One hundred and seven years old. Yeah. Also, it revolves around porcelain dolls, and they creep me out. Really, you'd think I would know better. Anyway, it scared me shitless, and it's 4:17 am on the 4th of July (America's Independence Day, for you…not Americans…) I scared myself so much I don't wanna turn off my lights and I can't sleep with any light in the room…so…yeah. Tomorrow (see: later today) I should have a monumental headache, just in time for city wide fireworks. YAY! (note the sarcasm). Why the hell do we celebrate kicking the asses of the British (with the help of the French, who as a general rule, HATE us…then again, as far as I can tell, the French hate everyone…) with explosive devices? I really don't understand.

Okay, if you're still reading my pathetic tale of woe, I'll shut up now. Review, please!


	19. Final Showdown

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 19

Roxas stepped back into a corner to take a moment to catch his breath. Blood pounded in his ears, magic crackled through the air, the noise of battle taking over everything. He was suddenly thankful for the smothering darkness. Breath whipped in and out of his lungs quickly, but it didn't really seem to help. In fact it was making his head spin a bit. Roxas fought to control his breath, finally slowing it down to something normal. Most of the hall had been cleared out and he found himself amongst some of the only people left. He knew there was no way they'd all been killed; there weren't nearly enough bodies for that. They must have moved farther in to the castle.

The sound of a door creaking open on the far end of the hall made Roxas tense and hold his breath. He pressed farther back against the wall, listening to the sound of approaching footsteps. The person was obviously trying to be quiet, and might have succeeded, if Roxas wasn't straining to listen for him. Roxas tightened his hold on his swords, muscles tensing as he readied himself for another fight. He waited until the sound was almost on top of him, and then he jumped. He swung his swords out without a thought, without even pausing to take a look. There was a clash of metal as he struck the person's own blade, thrown up at the very last second in defense. He raised his sword to strike once more before he realized exactly who it was he was attacking.

"Oh shit," he gasped, recoiling. Axel, face paler then usual, raised a crimson eyebrow.

"You would have felt really bad," was all he said.

"I'm sorry," Roxas apologized, his adrenaline running over his skin like an electric current. "Are you all right?"

"Only thanks to my quick reflexes."

"Sorry," Roxas apologized again. Several people were behind Axel, looking at Roxas warily.

"Where are the people you were with?" Axel asked, voice low as they continued down the hall together.

"Farther ahead. I stopped to catch a breath. That's what I was doing before that whole spectacle just now." Axel nodded to show that he heard, but didn't respond. His green eyes were sweeping the hall in a way that only the truly paranoid could pull off.

"The throne room's not far off," Roxas muttered. "Just down the hall, I think."

"Have you heard any word from Zexion or Leon?" Axel asked, looking satisfied that they were out of any immediate danger.

"Not yet," Roxas shook his head. "They might just be having trouble making it back or something, but I really have no clue."

"That's not too comforting, Rox," Axel mumbled. "I guess we should just press on, then."

They turned one more corner and saw Roxas' own small platoon, already battling out with some of the natives. Roxas had asked them to avoid killing if they could, but there was only so many things they could do to stop the advancing forces. He didn't want to kill Riku's people if he could help it, especially considering that they might not know better. Most of them were just fighting for their kingdom, unaware of the treachery in their midst. Down the hall, Roxas could see a large pair of double doors, and he could only assume that they led to the throne room. That was their destination, because Riku or not, they were going to kill the Queen. She'd taken too much for them to let her live.

Roxas was in the middle of deciding whether he should throw himself in to the fight or head for the throne room when a flash of silver hair caught his eye. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if he'd imagined it, and if he hadn't, who it was. A moment later he had his answer.

Doppelgangers split across the room, each fighting just as hard as the original form, though their attacks didn't cause near the same amount of damage. It was enough for the cause though. Zexion bashed the hilt of his sword against a man's head, slipping past him quickly as he collapsed, looking very much like the brother that had taught him almost everything he knew.

"Majesties!" he gasped, looking paler then normal. Roxas was sure the sheer amount of magic he was using to hold up all the illusions was taking a lot out of him very quickly. Roxas took a moment to reflect on how he'd never noticed that Riku's entire family used illusion magic, and Riku controlled darkness. It was known to happen, but not very often.

"What is it, Zexion?" Axel asked, aiming a well-placed arc of fire at a nearby enemy to keep him at bay.

"We couldn't find Riku. We scoured all the dungeon and everywhere else we could find, but we haven't seen him." Roxas nodded, letting out a heaving breath.

"All right. Thank you, Zexion. Where's Leon?"

"We split up to look for you," Zexion reported. "I don't know where he is now." One by one, the doppelgangers were popping out of existence as Zexion started to sway a bit.

"Let the magic go. You're exhausting yourself," Roxas instructed with a frown, surreptitiously slamming a ball of light into an advancing enemy, knocking him out cold. Zexion did as he was told, and as the copies faded away, they could see that most of the Hollow Bastonians had been detained. A few more well-placed blows took care of the rest. Roxas avoided searching the people on the ground, knowing that the Bastonians had been fighting to kill and scared of what he might see there.

"I guess this is it," Roxas muttered to Axel, who nodded in reply.

"I guess so."

As if it were a rehearsed move, they both started walking forward at the same time and were followed closely by the rest. As they reached the doors, Roxas took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for what was coming. He didn't particularly enjoy the thought of killing anyone, but he knew there were some things that must be done.

He released the breath, cast a glance at Axel, and then pushed the door open. He could see immediately that his father and Leon's platoons had forced their way in through the back entrances, though he didn't see Leon himself. Cloud had lit his half of the room as bright as he could, and Roxas could see the Queen from where she sat, lounging in her throne and watching them in amusement. She didn't appear to be worried at all, and Roxas felt a bit of elation. Her nonchalance would get her killed.

He moved forward, a sudden anger burning through his blood. She'd killed his people, endangered Axel and Sora, most likely killed Riku. Now, she had the nerve to just sit there and act as if she was untouchable? He would not allow it.

As Oathkeeper and Oblivion found their way into his hands once again, he snarled low in his throat, stalking forward at a determined pace. Maleficent turned to look at him, that amused smile never leaving her cold face.

"Back so soon, Roxas? You look upset," she called, her voice carrying easily across the hall. "Are you going to kill me?" her voice took on a condescending edge.

His grip on his swords tightened and he nodded tersely. "Of course," he snapped back. "You've done too much to ever be allowed to live." A cry of protest rang throughout the hall and Roxas suddenly realized that many of the soldiers in the room were from Hollow Bastion. He wondered momentarily why they'd been ordered to a standstill before focusing his attention back on his target.

"You attacked our people, you hurt my brother, and you killed one of my very best friends. You kidnapped me and kept me locked in a cage like an animal for months. This is so past personal I might even enjoy killing you."

Maleficent threw back her head and laughed, high and cold. She slowly rose to her feet, walking daintily down the steps, coming to a stop on the very last stair. The amused look was replaced by a hard one, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"You can't defeat me, little boy. I am the darkness in true essence. Darkness devours everything. You have no hope."

"But that's where you're wrong," a voice called out from the darkness. "The real power is in light. Light can conquer even darkness. And that's why I know I can kill you."

Roxas had to fight back a gasp as Riku stepped from the shadows in to the light. His bright eyes were narrowed with hatred, his fists clenched tightly at his side. He looked every inch the warrior that he was.

"What are you talking about? You don't hold the hand of light," Maleficent snapped, sending him a dirty look.

Riku laughed and shook his head slowly. He summoned his sword, the wicked blade appearing in his hand.

"That's something you don't understand, Aunt Maleficent." Whispers spread across the room at a rapid speed. Roxas glanced back at the Bastonian soldiers, who were all staring at Riku with rapt attention.

"Light isn't about magic. It's about love and cherishing something. I cherish my lover, and I cherish my kingdom. I cherish the kings I serve under and the guards I command. I cherish my adoptive parents, Kadaj and Aqua, who took me in after you murdered my real parents, Sephiroth and Jenova." The whispering increased rapidly and the Hollow Bastonians were looking disbelievingly between their Queen and the one who claimed to be their prince.

"I cherish my little brother," Riku spoke again. "And he is my light. Sora, my parents, all of them. They are my light, and they give me something to fight for. But you have nothing. Nothing but an undisclosed lust for power and blood on your hands. Your own son turned against you, Maleficent. Zack brought us a warning at the risk of his own life. You have nothing."

"Shut up!" Maleficent cried. "Shut up!" A darkness surged out of her body, forming a bolt and shooting off at Riku. He deflected the attack with his blade, a serious glower flowing over his face.

"I won't let you hurt the people I love any more," Riku growled angrily, stalking towards her. "You can't hurt me here. This is my castle and my kingdom, and quite frankly, I don't think its very happy with you for seizing control," he growled dangerously.

"You can't touch me!" Maleficent cried again, though now she didn't sound as sure. "This is my castle! Mine! I've resided over it for eighteen years!"

"You've resided wrongfully," Riku snapped back. The pendant resting on his chest had started to glow with an eerie blackness. "You only have what you stole from me, and now I'm here to reclaim it. This castle is mine, these lands are mine, the people inside are _mine_ to protect!"

"If I can't have it, you certainly won't!" Maleficent snarled back. She threw her arms up dramatically, black magic dancing across her fingertips, building larger and larger. "I'll take the whole place down, and no one will get out alive!" she threatened, her eyes wide and manic.

"NO!" Riku roared, and the magic building up against his chest shot out like a laser. The raw power smashed into Maleficent's chest, left open and unprotected by her outstretched arms. Maleficent threw her head back and screamed as the darkness shot in to her.

Roxas wasn't quite sure what it was doing, but it looked rather painful. He took a few steps back, placing him almost next to Axel and Zexion once more. Riku's attack spread out, engulfing the foul woman's body inch by inch. Her screams only increased as the magic spread out, until finally, it covered her face and blocked the noise. With an ear-splitting crack, the darkness closed in on itself like a vacuum and disappeared.

Zexion was the first to move, rushing forward with his arms out. Almost as if he had predicted it, Riku suddenly collapsed, his skin going pale. Roxas could only imagine how much power that little show must have taken. Zexion caught his brother in his arms, helping him stay on his feet. Riku would hate it if he couldn't stand, even with help. He'd see it as a weakness.

Roxas opened his mouth to say something when he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. The Bastonian soldiers were approaching slowly. He tensed just the slightest, not sure what they were up to.

"Prince Ansem, forgive us," one spoke up. "We had been told you were killed along with your parents. We did not know that it was Maleficent who had done the deed. We meant no disrespect to your great power."

Riku pulled from Zexion's grasp, doing something Roxas recognized immediately. He was hiding his weakness from his people. Roxas was very, very familiar with that particular act.

"I understand. I can't put you at fault. You are victims as well," Riku said, his voice sounding strong and precise, even as he looked ready to keel over. Roxas felt a burst of pride take over. Riku would make a wonderful king.

The one who had spoken nodded in awe, before dropping in to a bow. Riku looked a bit surprised as the rest followed in suit. After a moment, Roxas smiled and stepped forward again. Three steps, and then he bowed as well. He could hear the sounds of surprise around the room, but a moment later Axel was at his side, bowing as well.

As the people of Nadie saw their kings bowing, they hurried to follow in suit. Roxas took a peek, almost laughing when he saw the shocked expression on Riku's face as Zexion backed away from the man he'd called his brother his whole life, and bowed as well.

------------------

A/N: I am so glad that chapter is over. I hated every freaking minute of it. It took me over a month to write that, no kidding. I kinda of just want it to fall over and die now.

On another note, I suck at writing fight scenes. Sorry if you're really disappointed. Did you notice that Maleficent and Riku sounded like dueling three year olds?

"It's mine!"

"No, it's mine!"

"NO, IT'S MIIIIINE!"


	20. The Effects of War

Disclaimer: I do believe we've been over this before.

Chapter 20

As soon as he was able, Riku insisted on returning to Nadie. He needed to check on Sora and make sure that he was all right. Roxas had informed him of the curse that had gotten a hold of his love almost as soon as he left. Typical Sora. Riku was gone for a week and he'd gotten himself in to potentially fatal trouble. Roxas and Axel had left almost immediately after Maleficent had been destroyed. They'd wanted to try and get things back to normal and report the news of the dead to families.

Among the dead were Leon, Demyx, and Roxas' childhood friend Pence. Riku's heart had hurt for them, but more so for the people they left behind. Leon had been Riku's own mentor. Cloud had stayed strong on the outside, but Riku could see the break in his eyes. The feelings between the two hadn't really been all that secret, and he could only regret that they had never been able to truly be together.

Zexion had been the one to find Demyx, and Riku had never seen his brother fall apart like that before. He'd dropped to his knees, and shaken him, looking like he hoped for what he knew couldn't happen. Of course Demyx hadn't responded. Zexion had then collapsed across his dead lover's chest and cried his heart out, an emotional trait he'd no doubt picked up from living in Ne'erwas for so long. He'd stayed with Riku instead of heading back with Roxas and Axel. One night, he'd whispered in to the dark something Riku wasn't sure he was supposed to hear.

"We were going to get married," he'd said. "He asked me to marry him two weeks ago, and I said yes." Riku hadn't known how to reply, so he'd just stayed silent.

Roxas had mentioned something about having to tell Pence's wife. Riku didn't envy him the task. In a way, he felt very guilty. It was his fault that all those deaths had happened, though in bodies the count had been rather low. Still, a life was a life, and many had been traded for his.

And now he was back in Nadie, looking upon the grief that he'd played a part in causing. Riku walked with one purpose, heading quickly toward the infirmary. He hadn't been separated from Sora for so long in eleven years. It was wearing on his nerves. He pushed open the door the hospital, eyes sweeping the room quickly. He didn't see Sora, but he hadn't really expected to. No doubt he had his own room somewhere farther in. He started to trek farther in to the room, looking for the doctor, when he heard a voice speak.

"Hey there, Your Highness." He wondered momentarily who Kairi was visiting before the voice spoke again. "Yes, I'm talking to you. Prince Ansem!" With a jolt, he realized that he was the 'Highness' the voice had been referring to. He'd probably never get used to that.

Riku stopped and turned in the direction of the voice. The man lying in the bed had dark hair that spiked enough to rival the Strife men and deep blue eyes. He looked pale and sick but rather happy anyway, a grin cutting across his face.

"I'm glad you're okay, Ansem," he said. "I was almost afraid I wouldn't make it here, what with that nasty curse and all. What a lovely woman, my mother."

With a jolt, Riku realized that this man was his cousin Zack. He hadn't had a chance to actually see him, and he was surprised with how old he'd gotten. Obviously he knew that he had to have, but it was a shock to see. He was about Aeris and Cloud's age.

"Actually, I go by Riku now," he finally said, finding his voice again. Zack nodded slowly.

"Riku," he tried the name out. "I like it. Very nice. Man, you've gotten old…and big."

Riku snorted. "Did you expect me to stay the size of a six year old my whole life?"

Zack shook his head and grinned. "No. It's just…shocking, is all." Riku nodded slowly. His mind drifted to Sora, as it often did, and a sudden realization hit him.

"Hey…can I talk to you about something important?" Riku asked. "You don't have to agree, but I'd really like you to at least consider it."

Zack nodded slowly, looking a bit unsure. "Yeah, of course."

---------------

Roxas squeezed Axel's hand tightly, looking to him for comfort as he raised a fist and knocked firmly on Olette's door. He'd wanted to put off talking to her as long as he could, but it had gotten to the point where he just couldn't any more. It wasn't fair to Olette. They waited for what seemed like an eternity for the door to open. When it did, they were met with Olette's cheerful smile. As she took stock of their somber expressions and the long wood box balanced on the shoulders of the men behind them, though, her smile melted away.

"No," she whispered imploringly. Roxas wished that he could grant her wish, but he knew he couldn't. "No!" she cried again, anguish filling her voice. Immediately, tears began to stream down her cheeks. She collapsed against her doorframe, burying her face in her hands. She just kept uttering that one word over and over again, as if saying it enough would bring him back.

"I'm so sorry, 'Lette," Roxas sighed. She moved from he doorway to wrap her arms around him, and for once Roxas didn't feel extremely awkward. He hugged her back and let her cry on his shoulder.

"Roxas…I'm pregnant!" she whimpered when she stopped sobbing long enough to speak. "How am I going to do it without him? He…he never even knew! I found out just after he left and…he never even knew!"

Roxas' heart throbbed painfully. "I'm sorry," was all he could say. "I'm so sorry."

------------------

Riku thrust the door to Sora's room open, a warm feeling spreading through his chest as soon as he saw the brunet. Sora blinked slowly for a moment, and then before Riku knew it, the brunet was out of bed and in his arms.

"Riku!" he cried, wrapping his arms tightly around Riku's middle, squeezing for all he was worth as if Riku might try to run away. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean what I said. I could never hate you! I love you so much!"

Riku hugged back just as tightly, pressing several soft kisses to Sora's forehead. "Of course, So. I know that," he assured the babbling brunet. "I love you too. I'm so sorry I had to leave you like that, but I had to help my kingdom…"

Sora suddenly pulled out of his embrace, face set in an adorable pout, eyes blazing seriously.

"You're a prince!" he exclaimed. Riku paused at the sudden subject change and then nodded when all other words failed him. "You're crown prince!" Sora cried once more. Again, Riku nodded.

"And you never told me!" he shrieked this last part, landing a smack on Riku's shoulder. The silver-haired prince winced at the impact, taking a defensive step backward.

"I couldn't tell anyone, Sora!" Riku cried in defense, catching Sora's fist as the brunet made to hit him again. "My aunt killed my parents for power, Sora. I wasn't safe being a prince, so I just became Riku. I never told anyone…okay, well I told Zexion when we were kids, but he didn't believe me…either way, I had to do it to keep myself safe."

Sora stared at him for a long moment, and all Riku could do was stare back. After what seemed like an eternity, Sora just shook his head and launched himself into Riku's arms again.

"I'm sorry," he murmured quietly. "I'm being a brat." Riku chuckled, pressed a kiss to his hair, and squeezed him tightly. He was content just to hold the brunet in his arms for a while and soak in that feeling of being loved and the faint scent of vanilla that had become so familiar to him before he had to dredge up the serious conversation.

"Sora," he spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the fragile peace. "You should probably lay back down. I don't think you should be so active just yet." Roxas had informed Riku of Sora's illness as soon as they'd had a private moment, and Riku had been anxious and worried ever since.

"Will you stay?" Sora asked, his hands clenching the fabric of Riku's shirt and holding tightly.

Riku cocked an eyebrow, casting Sora bewildered look. "Of course, So. Why wouldn't I?"

Sora shrugged, looking away. "Well…you're not my guard any more, are you? So you're not required to…"

Riku snorted softly, scooping Sora up into his arms in a swift motion. "If you think I spend all my free time with you only out of duty, you're more delusional then I thought." Riku deposited Sora on the bed and grabbed the younger prince's chin gently, tilted his head up and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. "I love you, Sora. Always have, always will, okay?"

Sora nodded slowly, a small smile spreading over his face. He grabbed Riku's shirt once more and tugged on it until he got the hint, climbing on the bed beside his lover. Riku stretched out, arranging their bodies so that they could both fit comfortably. They wrapped their arms around each other, clinging together as they often did after being separated for too long.

"Go to sleep, So," Riku murmured pressing one more gentle kiss to Sora's face. The brunet didn't need much more prompting then that. He slipped away not long after.

---------------

Aeris brushed a loose tendril of hair behind her ear and approached her husband who was sitting on the edge of his chair, staring blankly at the wall. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders, resting her cheek against the top of his head.

"I'm so sorry, Cloud," she whispered. "I know how much he meant to you."

"I'm so pathetic," Cloud grumbled. "Leon's been around as long as I can remember. I don't even know who I am without him to define me."

Aeris sighed quietly, pressing a kiss to his spikes. "I can't really understand what you're going through," she said quietly. "So I found someone who might. Do you mind if I let him in?"

Cloud shrugged noncommittally, so Aeris took it as a yes. She opened the door, revealing Reno Sinclair, who looked as down as Cloud felt.

"Reno, Tifa died almost a year ago. It's really time for you to start letting her go. Cloud, you have fresh wounds to try and heal. You two share the same feelings. Help each other get over it," Aeris instructed. Hesitantly, Cloud looked up at Reno. He could see the very pain that was ripping his entire being apart reflected back at him in the redhead's eyes. Hesitantly, Reno held out a hand. Cloud stared at it for a long moment before clasping it in his own. Aeris smiled to herself and slipped out the door. She had her own man to go care for.

--------------

Though no one would know it until it was far too late, there was a person in much more need then Cloud, Reno, or even Sora across the castle. Zexion was alone in the apartment he had shared with Demyx, and he was dying.

He hadn't been home long before the pain and realization had really sunk in and hit him. Before he'd even really had a time to think about what he was doing, he'd drawn his blade and slit his own wrists.

He'd meant to make it fast and had been going to go for the throat next, but the pain was so much he just couldn't manage to lift his sword again. He didn't regret his decision, but he wished his body would hurry up and shut down on him. As his vision started to black out, Zexion laid down, resting his head against the pillow. With the last of his strength, he closed his eyes, and the pain slipped away.

When he next became aware, something cool was pressing against his face. He groaned quietly, hoping that he hadn't been found before the cuts had managed to do their job.

"Zexy, why'd you have to go and do that, huh?" Demyx's sweet voice filled his ears and he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Instead, he merely said, "Because I love you."

Not that it mattered to either of them, but Zexion's body wasn't discovered until the next day.

* * *

When Sora awoke, he discovered that Riku was no longer at his side. He frowned at the wrongness of it all before slipping out of bed and approaching the door. Through the little window, he could see his mother and Riku sitting around the Hollow Bastonian man's bedside. Their discussion looked rather serious, and he couldn't help but eavesdrop. Sora cracked the door just enough to allow their voices to flow in. Riku was speaking.

"…love him more then anything, you know? But Hollow Bastion doesn't allow same-sex marriage, especially not from the king. So that's why I have to do it…"

Sora slipped the door shut quickly, not wanting to hear the rest of the conversation. He sat down on his bed, panic flaring in his chest.

Riku couldn't marry another man and still take the throne. Riku was going to leave him because he was honor-bound. If there was one thing that was obvious about Riku, it was how much he stock he put in his responsibilities. There was no way Sora could stand between the two, because he couldn't really compare in seriousness.

He was going to lose Riku.

------------------

Having informed the last family of their loss, Roxas was glad to flop down onto his and Axel's bed. It was a sad and very hard job, to report the death of a family member. A moment later, Axel flopped down next to him, sighing quietly.

"Depressing work," he said off-handedly. "I feel like such an asshole."

Roxas cocked an eyebrow and raised his head to glance at his husband. "Yeah? Why's that?"

Axel looked back at him and shrugged sheepishly. "Because I'm really happy right now, since you're not one of the people who died." Roxas kissed him on the mouth then, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Yeah, me too. I don't know what I would have done if I'd have lost you in there," he admitted quietly.

They were quiet for a long time, just appreciating each other's presence before Roxas spoke again.

"What do you think of Riku's decision?" he asked.

The silver-haired prince had approached them both soon after he had arrived back in Nadie to reveal his plan to them and ask for their support. Of course they had granted it to him, though Roxas was wondering if Riku would regret it later.

"To be honest, I'm not really surprised," Axel sighed. "It's a very Riku thing to do, you know? He's all about honor and loyalty, so that's right up his alley."

Roxas nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. I just hope he doesn't come to regret it later. It's a really big decision."

"He knows what he's doing," Axel assured his lover.

"I hope so," Roxas responded with a sigh.

------------------

"Well, well, well. Aeris Shinra," Zack said with a grin. He was still bedridden and sick looking, but Aeris could see the shadow of the man she'd once known in his features. He would be back, once his health was better, she was sure.

"Actually, it's Strife now," she admitted. "Though I'm not sure if it will be for long. Cloud and I have been discussing getting divorced."

"Wow, I'm sorry," he said, a small frown coming over his face. Aeris pulled a chair to his bedside, settling down in it and taking one of his hands in hers. She smiled and shook her head.

"No, it's all right. Cloud and I will always be friends, but we were only together because we were duty bound. Now that Roxas and Axel have taken over, there really is no real reason for us to continue being married. But I'm not here to discuss that. I'm here to see how you are."

"At the risk of sounding cheesy, I'm a lot better now that you're here, Beautiful," Zack said with a teasing grin, using the pet name he'd called her back when they'd dated. Aeris flushed, looking away, but unable to stop the wide grin spreading over her face. "I've missed you."

She nodded sadly. "I've missed you, too. I didn't really think I would ever see you again."

"Yeah," he agreed with a sigh. "Do me a favor, Beautiful?"

"Of course, Zack. Anything."

"One kiss," he said quietly, and her heart swelled in a way that it hadn't in a long time. She stood up and leaned over the man she'd never once stopped loving, and kissed him firmly on the lips.

-------------

"So?" Riku asked as he reentered the room. "What's the matter? I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, but I had something important I needed to discuss with Zack…"

"You can't be with me anymore," Sora cut him off abruptly. "I heard. So…just get it over with or something. I don't want some drawn-out dramatic parting, all right? I don't think my heart could take it."

"What are you talking about?" Riku asked with a frown, reaching out to touch his lover and trying to hide his hurt when the brunet jerked away from him as if he were on fire.

"You can't be with me and be king, so you're going to break up with me. I understand that, okay? I just don't want it to be too emotional…because I couldn't take it." Sora said, his voice a mix between snappish and sad.

Riku shook his head slowly. "Sora…if you would listen to me, I could tell you the part you're missing," he said gently.

This seemed to capture Sora's attention. He looked up, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "What?"

"I had to talk to Zack first, to make sure that he was okay with it, and then I had to talk to Roxas and Axel to make sure I still had a place here, and it was a lot of explaining and convincing and debating and organizing, but I finally figure it all out."

"What, Riku?" Sora demanded impatiently.

"I'm going to abdicate," Riku admitted. "I don't know the people of Hollow Bastion like I should in order to rule them, but Zack does. If I'm out of the way, he's next in line. So I'm giving up my title, Zack will become Crown Prince and then King, and Roxas and Axel assured me that I could stay on as head of the Royal Guard here. So…I'm not going anywhere, and I most certainly am not breaking up with you."

Sora stared at him, completely dumbstruck for a long few minutes. When he could talk, all he got out was one word. "Why?"

"Because I love you, Doofus," Riku snorted.

"But…" Sora protested. "You're all about honor, Riku. Whatever happened to the whole 'having an obligation to your kingdom' crap you were throwing at me last week?"

Riku grabbed Sora up in to his arms and kissed him quickly. "Its simple, really. I love you more then I love my kingdom."

As Sora was confronted with the very same words he'd said himself, he suddenly smiled.

"God, I love you," he cried, hugging Riku tightly.

--------------

"So…" Axel said slowly, running a hand through Roxas' permanently disheveled hair.

"So what?" Roxas asked, leaning in to the touch, his head rested on Axel's chest.

"Do you think we'll ever reach a point where things are sufficiently peaceful?"

Roxas snorted. "I'd like to say yes, but something in me kind of doubts it."

Axel nodded in agreement. "Yeah…that's what I thought to."

"Well," Roxas sighed with a shrug. "Let's just enjoy the calm while we can."

"Agreed."

With a wicked grin, Axel flipped them over so he was stretched out above Roxas, a predatory grin on his face. "And I think I know the perfect way."

Roxas' responding giggles were smothered by hot, devouring kisses.

-------------

A/N: THE END!!! God, those last few chapters were awful to write. It was just so hard! I'm so glad this is over, though I will admit, I'm going to miss this world a lot. But I am not writing a part three. That's getting just a tad bit ridiculous, if I do say so. Thanks so much to all of those who have been with me through all of this, and thanks you those of you who read it even later. As a favor, how about dropping one last review?


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